Simple As That
by HeavyRotation
Summary: Scarlett has never been the most analytical of human nature but for once she figures out Rhett before he figures himself. When all else fails, including her strength, her most surprising plan to get him back is the simplest – which for her is the hardest.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Gone With The Wind and its characters belong to their respective owners. I make no money out of this, I'm just having fun.**

**A/N: **I'm kind of late to Gone With The Wind and I'm sure many people had their take on the continuation of the story. I love the movie and the book equally, but this fic takes place in the latter's universe. This is my first GWTW fic, and it might take a chapter or two for it to really pick up but hope you'll stick with me.

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Summary: **_Chapter 1_: Dealing with loss can break even the strongest ones. After a desperate but fiery confrontation with Belle Watling, Scarlett's fall is inevitable.

**Simple As That**

The cemetery was full of people. Scarlett wasn't really surprised, yet the sight of such a mass reminded her, oddly, of the war, when people would gather to praise the Cause and cry together over the loss of all the fools who died for it in the battle. Leave it to Melanie to unite everyone once again, even in her death. Life without her was almost surreal to Scarlett. Although she certainly had spent a lot of time away from her, it was only these dasy that she realized what stability it had provided to know she would be there whenever she turned to her. She would be in Atlanta, accepting her with open arms whatever she intended to do, and that included secretly trying to steal her husband. That cross now felt heavier than ever on her shoulders but she would bear it, just like everything else before. It would have been so easy and so liberating to confess it all before Melanie passed. But Scarlett refused to be a coward, not in this matter. There was no bravery and nobility in confessing her past sins to a dying woman. Melanie's condemnation would have added nearly nothing to the considerable guilt and regret Scarlett felt already and her forgiveness would have meant very little without her around. Not to mention making her final moments bitter and disappointing with realization that she had mistrusted her dearest sister-in-law all along.

It was much easier to concentrate on the people gathered rather than on what was happening. The grief she felt was all too familiar and although she realized she would get through this too, it didn't make it easier to bear. Ashley, her once beloved Ashley could barely stand on his feet as people kept taking their turns to say good bye. He looked frail, tired and old. Way old. He looked like a walking ghost ever since Melanie died and Scarlett worried he might not even make it to the funeral. But he did. The funeral itself was arranged by Scarlett without considerable objection – much to her surprise. Apparently everyone agreed that Melanie had to be laid to rest with as much respect and honor as possible which needed perfect organization. Even Scarlett felt she deserved it, she knew Melanie was faithful to her religion and she wanted to do everything within her power to be true to her late sister's spirit.

Immediately after her passing, Scarlett had expected chaos to take over, overshadowing the most wide-spread grief Atlanta witnessed since the war. She was convinced that now that Melanie wasn't there to defend her, her suggestion to take over preparations for the funeral would be met with heavy objections. But it wasn't. In fact they were eager to do everything she planned for the services and took her orders ( for the most part ) quite easily. It wasn't until this very moment that she realized why it was. Apparently her exceptional leading skills and no-nonsense attitude when things had to be done were welcome now. The women were comfortable having nothing else to do than cry their hearts out and compete who loved Melanie more, while the men, out of solidarity, wished to do nothing to shed light on Ashley's inability to act in this time of grief. That damn honor of theirs, they were willing to overlook her, a woman, completely taking over rather than put Ashley in a bad light while any other time she would have been frowned upon. Everyone who had judged her and condemned her for her past actions suddenly welcomed all of her work, enjoying the opportunity to look as grief-stricken and honorable as possible without risking the chance of failing Melanie's last honor. The little hypocrites, Scarlett thought bitterly, she was sure everything would be back to normal in a day or so.

Her eyes shifted and settled on Mrs. Merriwether. It was Mrs. Meade's turn to say a few words, the chance most women fought hard for. Scarlett had set up an order for them and because of the amount of people who wanted to speak, she had told them they could sum it all up in five short thoughts or they wouldn't speak at all. Her conditions were scandalous but most agreed, some even came to see the sense in it. Mrs. Merriwether was naturally among the few who refused to accept it, but when Scarlett seemed as firm in her position as always, reluctantly, but she agreed to it, too. Her eyes narrowed now as she eyed Scarlett, and the latter was aware that the old hag had been scrutinizing her since the moment she set eyes on her that day. She inspected her as if she had been waiting for the young woman to fail or to catch the slightest glimpse of evidence that there indeed had been something between her and Ashley. With no such proof all day, Mrs. Merriwether was growing more and more restless.

It was Beau's arms wrapping around her waist that distracted Scarlett. The little boy had been holding on to his father's hand but it was obvious Ashley could do very little to comfort his son. His lifeless stare, looking as out of the world as he had always appeared to Scarlett, wasn't reassuring to a child who needed a strong presence in this time of sadness. But neither was Aunt Pittypat's continuous sobs or his Aunt India's inexperienced and awkward attempts to handle a frightened child. Beau had never been afraid of Scarlett and sometimes he was more open and candid towards her than her own children – or anyone else, for that matter. Naturally he took to her now, too, seeking comfort from the strongest and to him dearest presence after his own mother. While she wasn't the warmest mother in the world, she shared his grief. She had lost a daughter, he now lost a mother. Scarlett put an arm around Beau and rubbed his back gently, conveying her unspoken determination that she would keep her promise; she would take care of him. Her own children were home, this was a sight she wished to spare them. They had seen enough grief since Bonnie's death, and as much as she wished they had been a little tougher, natural protectiveness kept her from allowing them to attend. Melanie would understand, she was sure of that.

Just that simple gesture towards Beau had the gossiping women, Mrs. Merriwether, Mrs. Elsing and Mrs. Meade share a look. Scarlett caught it but gave no indication that she had noticed or that she was bothered. In fact, she wasn't. It was her now estranged husband who had spoken the very truth when he had told her how much she could do without reputation. That he had taken issue with that very fact after all sounded a little hypocritical to her but that wasn't the train of thought she wanted to focus on at the moment. Thinking of Rhett, and his absence, felt like a pull on her heart, too, and hurt her carefully crafted resolve. She wouldn't cry, she wouldn't lose it in front of everyone. Unbeknownst to her, however, her eyes betrayed her. While nobody knew all the details and contributing factors, there was hardly anyone who failed to notice the unmistakable tragedy lurking in her features. Over the years she had been called cold, steely and fearless, and many thought there was simply nothing that could penetrate her walls. Today her eyes were nowhere near as bright as they were on a daily basis and not even her beauty could draw attention from that gloomy cloud that surrounded her entire being. For the first time in a very long while, Scarlett appeared as part of the community as ever, sharing the same grief and feeling of loss as the people gathered. Her favorite child's death, Rhett's departure, Mammy's return to Tara and Melanie's passing felt like life's forces united to bring down the one person that not even the war could break. But she wouldn't let it. Not until she took her last breath.

It was Aunt Pitty's house where most of the guests gathered after the funeral. Scarlett was relieved that most people who turned up for the service stayed away, apparently deeming it more appropriate to extend their condolences to the family in the upcoming days instead of swarming them all at once. The house was still full of people as they came and went all day long. Surprisingly a few even thanked Scarlett for the preparations but she couldn't have cared less. She didn't do it for herself and certainly didn't do it for them. It was for Melanie. Scarlett was still bitter about the lack of helping hand when Bonnie had died. In this time of grief her bitterness only grew and had it not been for Melanie, she would have told them all to go to the devil. Mrs. Merriwhether was, of course, among those who came by and even deemed it important to stay the whole day. The excuse was consoling Aunt Pittypat, the truth, Scarlett figured, was to keep an eye on her. It wasn't lost on anyone how Beau clung to her all day either. Scarlett couldn't help the irritation she felt over it, it was something she greatly disliked about her own children, too. She never said one bad word to the boy though, she let him stay with her instead. If it made him feel better, then be it. As much hatred as she had felt for the boy and for his mother at first, she had to admit she had grown to love them both in her very own way. Beau was, she realized, the one still living part of Melanie and if there was anyone whom she felt a real connection to in her grief, it was him. Beau was uninhibited in his relationship to her, he was maybe the only person in the world who did not fear or think ill of her. The only one who had no hidden agenda when dealing with her and genuinely and truly liked her. He was so much like his mother.

For Melanie Scarlett made great effort, did everything by the book and acted as conventional as possible. She resisted the urge to leave the reception of condolence callers to India, Aunt Pittypat or Ashley, knowing they wouldn't be strong enough to deal with so many people. She bit her tongue whenever the overwhelming desire to call somebody on their hypocritical melodrama, as it was a habit of most female members of the Old Guard in Atlanta, felt strong. She smiled and was polite when she felt like it the least, determined to keep the peace. All for Melanie. India surprised her the most with her co-operation. There was not one meaningful look fired in Scarlett's direction all day long. It was as if India had lost her footing and the only person she could hold on to, the one who still stood straight, was Scarlett. The all too familiar feeling of unwanted burden haunted Scarlett all along. It wasn't Tara, her sisters, her ill father and confused servants that badly needed her sanity now but the sophisticated, once so proud and denying lot that clung to her desperately. And that included Ashley. If it weren't for Melanie… if only this hadn't been Melanie, then she could have told them all to hold on to something else, anything but her. If there was one person who Scarlett never even bothered to appear kind to, then it was Mrs. Merriwether. The gazes they exchanged were cool and icy, their communication was reduced to the utmost necessities.

Real conflict only arose when all attention finally turned to Melanie's young son. With the guests gone and only the immediate family (and the necessary, unshakable close friends) remained, it was obvious Ashley was hard to pull out from his secluded little corner. He had just returned from putting a very tired Beau to bed, a task he insisted on doing himself. It was the first time that Scarlett caught glimpse of the little life that was left in him. The hard part was just about to come, however. Apparently everyone was eager to take care of little Beau and that matter was so urgent they absolutely refused to allow Ashley some time to get over his devastating grief. They had ideas that, of course, didn't necessarily include them caring for him personally, but ideas they felt were appropriate and acceptable within society. Everyone knew Ashley had to keep his family afloat, he couldn't just abandon the lumber mill for it would have brought even more misery on them. That meant he was away for the most of the day and Beau, who had gotten used to his mother's constant presence, needed someone to look after him. Aunt Pittypat, as supportive as she was, wasn't fit enough to care for the boy anymore. India was most people's candidate and the most logical choice, but India was more frightened than ever. She was used to co-existence, having someone to listen to even if she had her very own strong ideas and ideals that usually came from society. Melanie had been a quiet leader in the household and taking that role, especially with no experience of caring for a child, left India hopelessly out of her depth. There remained the obvious that some tried to ignore, namely that Scarlett was to care for Beau. Melanie may have come across far too naïve to Scarlett on many occasions, but apparently she had made sure enough people knew what her wishes about her son were. Scarlett was to be responsible when Ashley was busy with the business. She had told Ashley himself, Aunt Pittypat, India and Dr. Meade, making each of them swear to the Lord they would honor her last wish. That they did, which led to the unavoidable, nasty scene. The argument was so wild Scarlett had never in her life had a worst time controlling her temper. To her credit, she remained cool on the outside, ironically reminding herself of Rhett's usual pretense of detachment. That further infuriated Mrs. Merriwether, who was among the strong opponents of little Beau being subjected to Scarlett's '_evil and disgraceful influence'_.

There was a point when, Scarlett felt, Mrs. Merriwether was about to blurt out an insult about Bonnie's death. The fiery look she threw the older woman was so sharp even the old gossip didn't dare finish her thought. Awkward silence fell then, everybody knew they have reached a breaking point and it was only when faced with the intense fire in Scarlett's eyes that they realized they did not wish to suffer the blows of her newly flaring temper on the day of Miss Melly's funeral. It was India who broke the standstill, speaking words Scarlett never would have expected of her.

"I believe Scarlett is the right choice. I have made a promise to Melanie and I'll honor it till the day I die."

Eyes went wide, looks were exchanged, some agreed, some didn't. Scarlett's eyes narrowed in scrutiny as she eyed India. There had been a change in her demeanor ever since Melanie died… and ever since Scarlett had uttered a rare and uncharacteristic apology. They weren't exactly friendly but India seemed to have accepted her as main authority without any visible struggle to contain herself like before. Scarlett didn't know if it was because of something she did, India's conscience over the whole accusation case or Melanie's influence her on her death bed. Truthfully, Scarlett wasn't too eager to add Beau to her list of responsibilities but she had promised. Not only would she burn even longer in hell if she had broken a promise made to a dying woman but her own conscience would protest, too.

What somewhat puzzled and even amused Scarlett was how firm her supporters were in their idea. Aunt Pittypat, for the first time in her life, stood her ground and not even Mrs Merriwether could move Mrs. Meade from her firm stand in favor of Scarlett. She knew better than to take it as a vote of confidence, the two, despite being such great friends, took each and every opportunity to oppose one another. Mrs. Meade used Melanie's wishes as an excuse which, as it was written on her face, did not please Mrs. Merriwether. Yet the matter was settled once and for all by Ashley himself. Looking resigned and broken, Ashley finally emerged from his silent reverie to have the final word.

"My wife's wishes were clear and it was a decision we both agreed on. As Beau is my son, I hope you all, dear friends, will respect my choice to see to Beau as best as Melanie and I both deemed the best. Scarlett and I are childhood friends and Melanie was terribly fond of her. With all the strength and wisdom of a loving mother, Melanie felt Beau would be in great hands under Scarlett's care. I am humbled and most touched that Scarlett is willing to help my family out in her own time of grief. I will not have anyone question Melanie's judgment in the matter of her own son's upbringing, nor will I tolerate any ill-speak about Scarlett in my house. Melanie is gone and I expect her memory to be respected." His speech was delivered in a calm and slow pace as if the previous heated and loud argument had been completely lost on him. Scarlett realized this demeanor was what she had mistaken for strength and extreme confidence when she was merely 16. This time it was clear that what she had considered admirable authority, was nothing but a resigned man speaking without having the chance or courage to fight life. While she was sure he meant his words, he appeared nothing but weak to Scarlett. So unlike Rhett, he would have reacted so differently. But where was Rhett now? Gone. Escaped from her, because she had destroyed him, too.

With the matter settled, life soon returned to normal – as much as it was possible. Melanie's absence was painful, there wasn't anyone who didn't feel the gap she left behind. Of course nobody failed to notice Rhett's absence either. Scarlett had smartly hinted at financial troubles to all those she knew would spread the gossip, so soon entire Atlanta was under the impression that Rhett had left because there was serious trouble with his business. There remained suspicion, of course, and Scarlett knew she was being watched, especially when in Ashley's company. But that was rare. She realized he was broken and grieving and that it wasn't the right time to turn away from him, so it took her considerable effort to be around him. Not only did she not find him the least bit appealing anymore, but their friendship that went back to their childhood meant nothing in light of Scarlett's regret and fury. She was thoroughly displeased with herself for having been so blind all along and furious with Ashley for his misleading act. Although she realized the man never actively pursued her, all of his actions seemed different in retrospect. With the knowledge that she was in love with him, he had been subjected to the temptation to take advantage of her all along. But despite his chivalrous struggles, he had known Scarlett enough to realize she wouldn't give up hope unless he told her straight out that all he would want from her is her body. That he never did and she couldn't see it. Whether it was intentional or not, the fact remained that Ashley had led her on for years and that was hurting her pride. Aside from her own mistakes, she felt his actions greatly contributed to the split with Rhett, too. Oh how could she have been so blind?

Just like always, Scarlett functioned best when under pressure. Dealing with Melanie's death putting up with a most intense public scrutiny and taking care of little Beau, too, while trying to find a way back to Rhett kept her preoccupied. Survival mode kicked in and her tenacity emerged full throttle in this time of need. However, there were many things on her mind and finances were, as always, one of them. She was rich, richer than she had been before, but it was all up to a husband who had left. She had Tara, half of Aunt Pittypat's house and the store she was preserving for Wade. But everything else was Rhett's and with him gone, she didn't know how lasting that would be. His promise to keep her financially safe was made when he still loved her and Scarlett was half expecting divorce papers to arrive any day. She had fully intended to return to Tara the day after Rhett left and had began making preparations to leave and spend a little time there but her immediate return home was unexpectedly delayed.

Aside from the funeral, a daily routine needed to be worked out for Beau and Aunt Pittypat childishly grabbed hold of her arm and literally begged her to stay, just a little while, claiming she couldn't bear her absence too, now that Melanie was gone. Reluctantly, she stayed. Beau spent most of the day in her house, playing with Wade and Ella while he spent the afternoons and the night at home. That worked perfectly for Scarlett, however it soon became apparent Beau was different than her own children. While he was used to his father working, his mother's absence was hard on him and he required Scarlett's presence and attention more than Scarlett felt comfortable with. He sometimes completely abandoned Wade and Ella and followed her around. Whether it was Melanie's or Bonnie's memory, she wasn't sure, but something kept her from snapping at the boy. Although there were times when he was chattering away freely as he always did with her, most of the time he didn't ask for much, he merely liked being in her presence, feeding off her strength and energy, which, as long as he remained silent, was bearable. She had to conclude if she were to return home, she needed to take Beau along. And, as it became more and more apparent, returning home was a life or death matter. She needed Tara like air. It was a peculiar feeling, each passing day in Atlanta weakened her and she was certain she needed to go home. To think, to regain her strength, to recapture who she was.

She missed Rhett terribly. It was hard to imagine there had been a time, alright, several times, when she wished he would have disappeared forever. Now he seemed to have done so and it was more painful than she cared to admit it. Although he had promised to return frequently to keep up appearances, a month had passed and there was absolutely no word from and of him. She had been through this before when he had taken Bonnie along but that was different. This seemed final and it was hard for her to think of any kind of a plan to get him back when the most important part of her plan was missing; Rhett himself. Her inability to think of anything was another proof she needed to regain her energy and for that she needed to go home. Ashley agreed to let her take Beau along. He felt a little change in scene would aid his son and since Tara wasn't too far away, it was thought to be the best solution. He would even visit as much as he could until they returned.

Plans made and arrangements done, it was just a couple of days before her scheduled leave for Tara that Rhett returned unexpectedly. Scarlett was completely caught off guard and was quite unprepared. The worst part was, Rhett hardly took notice of her. She felt this was an opportunity she couldn't waste and intended to do her very best to get him to stay but he gave her no chance. He had made his presence known but deliberately cut each of her attempts off to address what he apparently was not interested in anymore: her love. Scarlett felt helpless, it was a feeling she despised with every fiber of her being, especially when it came to Rhett. Especially now when so much depended on it.

"You look dreary, my dear." Rhett commented nonchalantly while going through papers in his office. "I hear you're leaving for Tara. You might want to extend your stay, I won't be returning for a good while." He then stopped to throw her a quick glance. "Should play well into your story about financial problems." The detached coldness hurt more than his usual mockery. "So how's the honorable Ashley Wilkes doing?"

"Miserable." Scarlett replied without care, her focus was anything but Ashley. "Rhett, couldn't you stay a while?" She didn't care about the despair in her voice. "The children missed you and-"

"The children." Rhett cut her off. "I hear Mrs. Wilkes was adamant about giving her son to you. So how does it feel, my dear, finally taking Ashley's burden as you wanted all along?" Now this stung and she felt her entire body go up in flames from rage. He had accused her of holding others' love over their heads like a whip and he was doing exactly just that to her now. He wasn't necessarily mean, if anything, he was asking her about facts, asking her about the man she didn't love the slightest anymore. Reminding her how she had wasted her love while something so important was in front of her face all along. Yet having an argument with him at the moment, when she wanted him back, didn't seem like a wise idea, nor did she feel strong enough for one. Swallowing her anger was most difficult but she tried.

Rhett chuckled. "You're out of your game, Scarlett. If you want to throw the nearest thing at me, do so. There's no use denying yourself, I know you. Maybe you do need that time away at Tara."

Shortly after informing her that he wouldn't be returning to Charleston and refused to tell her where he was heading, he left to Belle's. Making her feel all the more miserable in her helplessness, he didn't return until the early morning. She was well aware he had spent the night with the creature and had she not been awake waiting for him, she would have missed his immediate departure. She watched him from the top of the stairs, feeling more lost than ever, as he walked out the door once more. He knew she was there but he never addressed her, never even turned around and she couldn't speak out of her deep sense of loss either. There was the kind of finality in the air that Scarlett hated. It was like death, unchangeable, heavy and sad. Her mind refused to believe it really was over but she felt paralyzed. There was no Melanie, no Mammy, no Ellen or anyone whom she could turn to. The need to get out of the house was stronger than ever. After what seemed like hours and as some life crept back into her, she was determined to prove that there was no way that Scarlett O'Hara would go down without a fight. There was one stone left unturned and as much as she despised the idea and hoped it wouldn't come to that, she now knew what she needed to. It was the worst possible case she had considered but, truthfully, that it was. She felt her spark was missing, fighting tooth and nail like she had done before did not come easy this time. That was evident when she had watched Rhett go without a word. Things had been out in the open between them, he knew how she felt and she remembered his words. Accepting them was she was unable to do. She desperately hoped she would be strong enough to pull through this. Her early confidence that she could get Rhett back considerably waned and each passing day that delayed her from returning home felt like a weakening blow.

----

At the back of her mind she knew this might not be a wise idea but she shrugged it off. She had done crazier things like this before, what did this matter now? It was the night before her scheduled departure that Scarlett got out of the carriage and gave instructions she would be back shortly. Being out alone so late in the evening was scandalous but scandalous had become her middle name so, what did this matter now. For the first time her mourning dress became useful, for she walked down the dimly lit street and away from the carriage like a shadow. Silent, careful and unnoticed. Those who spotted her, and called to her, were hardly likely to remember the next day for the closer she got to her destination, the less sober people could be found. No ladies ventured to this area and, as much as the men repulsed her, she was glad for their confused state of mind. Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, however, the sight of so many drunken fools reminded her of Rhett and the night that he had shown a previously hidden side of him. While Rhett's conduct that night eventually led to a shocking mixture of repulsive and pleasurable experience, she was none too happy to consider the aspect of anyone else doing that to her. So she kept her head down, avoiding the occasional drunk faces passing by before she finally reached her destination.

Belle Watling nearly choked on her drink when she was told she had a visitor – and who that visitor was. While her initial reaction was to refuse accepting her call, this was an occurrence she never figured would ever happen. Her curiosity won over and she sent word she would be with her shortly. She deliberately made her guest wait, Belle couldn't be sure what she wanted but had a faint idea. Rhett had just left, it was one hell of a coincidence to get a visit so soon afterwards. Leaving instructions not to be disturbed, she headed to the very room where she had her visitor waiting. It was a cruel choice, Belle knew, she had chosen the very room she had last spent time with Rhett. She swiftly entered through the open door with the kind of dignity Atlanta's people never considered her worthy of. The only occupant of the room was busy staring outside the window, obviously spying on any possible witnesses when she would be leaving. Belle resisted the urge to chuckle and instead took Scarlett's appearance in from head to toe. She was dressed in conventional mourning wear, the blackness of her dress, along with her dark hair, was an intriguing contrast to her pale skin. Not a single hair was astray on her head, she looked every bit the part of society that she was required to be when mourning. Belle hated to admit it, not merely out of female vanity but because she despised Scarlett as a person, that her opponent was pretty. Having given birth to three children, she still looked slim and had she decided to claim she was childless, anybody who didn't know the truth would believe her.

She knew that there were two things that preceded Scarlett: that she was unconventional and that she was breathtakingly beautiful. Dangerously so, thus it wasn't always called a virtue anymore, instead she was famous for the beauty that hid a devilish coldness. Of course Belle knew how, no matter what condemnable deeds Scarlett did, her appearance continued to be envied for itself. If anything, her unconventional and ruthless ways encouraged women to act upon their jealousy without having to feel bad about it, while men, although concealing it, eyed her as a forbidden fruit. An almost sickening thought crossed her mind; Scarlett would bring in a lot of money to her business if she were to join her girls. For a moment she pondered telling it to her just to see what kind of a reaction she would get.

"Mizz Butler." She closed the door to get her attention, making Scarlett jump a little, and Belle's amusement was evident in the small smile that tugged on the corner of her lips. Scarlett looked like a child caught in the middle of doing something very bad, and very bad was how almost everyone regarded Belle's house. There was an unmistakable unease in Scarlett's stance as she regarded the older woman.

Aside from morbid curiosity as to what the 'respectable' Mrs. Butler wanted here, and so late for that matter, she had been waiting for a chance to go head to head with the little wench. That they never liked each other was one thing, but, as far as Belle was concerned, any woman who would let Rhett's devotion go to waste was rotten to the core. What Miss Melanie had seen in Scarlett she never knew, but a thought of the late Mrs. Wilkes reminded Belle of how willing she had always been to give the benefit of the doubt. _She sure treated me right_, she thought. The poor deceased soul was one of the very few people who looked at her, Belle, as an equal when every other woman saw nothing but a cheap, disgrace of a woman. Miss Melanie had seen the good in her but to think Scarlett deserved the same courtesy was hard to believe.

"Mrs Watling." Scarlett regarded her coolly, standing rigid in her place as if fearing that anything she touched would taint her. The room was clean and spoke of good taste, but Belle knew to Scarlett it could have looked like a palace, she still would have seen nothing but filth.

"Can I get you anythin'? A little Brandy?" Belle watched with great satisfaction as Scarlett's pale skin became flustered. She was probably wondering just how much she knew about her, just how much Rhett had let on, since no respectable woman offered Brandy to another. No one except the disgraceful ones and those who knew secrets about the other.

"No. Thank you." Scarlett's slanting green eyes took in the woman in return with the same once over she had secretly been given just moments earlier. Belle caught Scarlett's small notion, the pursing of her lips, as if she was containing the words undoubtedly ready to roll from her tongue. Pretending she didn't notice, she casually took a seat but offered none to Scarlett.

"Imagine my surprise when I been told the respectable Mizz Butler was visitin' herself." Belle began. "That begs the question, what brings her to 'Lanta's most condemnable house this time of night? Came lookin' for a job now that your husband finally discarded you?"

Scarlett's eyes narrowed in silent rage, the insult hit her spot on and Belle now saw the truth in Rhett's frequent comparison. Her eyes went emerald and with her attire she really was like a cat in the dark. There was a murderous gleam in her eyes that Belle hadn't faced before and, quite frankly, it almost unsettled her. But she let nothing on. Scarlett visibly struggled with a response and she must have taken great effort for her answer was nothing like the killer gaze she fired at her.

"My husband is the reason why I'm here indeed." Belle now had no doubt about what Scarlett wanted and it made her feel triumphant. Scarlett would, otherwise, never let such an insult slip by without firing back with all her weapons. Belle, on the other hand, had no intention of letting this opportunity of torturing her slip away.

"I'm all ears."

Scarlett raised her chin high. "I'm quite certain you know where he went."

"I sure do. Do you?"

There was hesitation in Scarett's eyes and her inner struggle was once again written on her face. It was a battle of pride and despair, Belle recognized it.

"We… didn't have much chance to talk. I need to see him urgently." No matter how much dignity she tried putting into the delivery of her words, that was a lie, they both knew. "If you could…" She didn't finish, instead gave Belle a pointed look. But the latter would have none of it.

"If I could wha'?"

Scarlett nearly gritted her teeth. "If you could tell me where he is…"

Sadistic gleam lit up Belle's eyes as she regarded the younger woman. "And now why would I do that? If he ain't told you, why should I?"

"That's between me and Rhett." Scarlett answered curtly and, to her annoyance, Belle laughed.

"Well if it ain't Scarlett O'Hara lowering herself to us disgraceful lot, crawlin' on her knees after a man?"

"If you had any understanding of the difficulties of matrimony, you would know. As it is though…" Belle recognized Scarlett's careful attempts to control herself. The venom still slipped through, yet her need to find Rhett was apparently stronger. So she cut back at the last minute and, to Belle's bewilderment, she almost looked resigned. Belle knew she had her cornered now, here was the chance she had been waiting for all along. If Scarlett was suffering, she deserved it and it was a sight she had been wishing to see with her own eyes. But Scarlett, as if realizing her mistake upon letting on some of her anger, spoke again. "Just tell me where he is." There was a long pause. "Please." Her eyes were cast downward, refusing to meet the Belle's gaze.

"Difficulties of matrimony." Belle rose from her chair, eyeing her opponent with disgust and triumph. "And you would know that with your vast experience, wouldn' you?" She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, scrutinizing Scarlett's reaction to her words. "You should've spared yourself those difficulties in the first place, _Mizz_ _Butler_. No lovin' and deservin' woman banishes her husband from her bedroom." But there was no reaction. Scarlett kept her eyes down, willingly taking the insults and Belle kept them coming indeed, continuing as if she was lashing her with a whip. "You're cold, selfish and heartless. All the nasty things you said to him when his daughter died, you ain't deservin' of nobody's good will. 'Specially not of mine. Well look at this room closely, dear Mizz Butler for this is the closest you'll get to him. At least in here he got the warmth and love you were so willing to deny him."

Scarlett's face contorted in disgust as the meaning of the words sunk in. It was the clearest sign Belle needed to make sure her words had hit home, yet a peculiar feeling of looming familiarity overshadowed her satisfaction over the situation. "S'not my problem you couldn't keep your man. And if he left you, 'twas no more'n you deserve."

"That's quite the judgment coming from you, Mrs. Watling, considering you haven't the means to keep a man longer than a night." Gone was the resignation and willingness to suffer from Scarlett's tone and posture. Belle was sure she had witnessed an unmistakable moment of weakness and she had taken good advantage of it, but it had evidently slipped through her fingers. The flash of her opponent's now narrow green eyes boring into hers, the sharp words packaged carefully in the icy aura came out of nowhere. Scarlett didn't cut back this time and that ignited the fire in Belle too, forcing the amused, sardonic smile off her face, and making her straighten to her full height.

"I'm no worse'n you are. Only difference 'tween you and me is that I don't marry them."

"Yet I'm not observed as a piece of flesh, who fulfills just about anyone's filthy dreams. You're no better than a pair of shoes people can buy just about anywhere. Both used and discarded when worn out. My cheapest, simplest frock comes higher than you."

Belle realized the mistake she had made in underestimating her and finally knew what that peculiar familiarity earlier had been for. Scarlett radiated the same kind of danger Rhett always had. There were things she never quite understood about the man and here she was facing the same kind of mystery. It wasn't that the younger woman was physically threatening, if anything Belle was taller and bigger than her. No, it was different. She had heard more about Scarlett from Rhett than she would have cared to hear and had a hard time believing all his tales of her unbreakable spirit. Sure Mrs. Butler took the hits moments ago and Belle was a force to recon with, too, but she had foolishly ignored Rhett's warnings not to run ahead if she ever came face to face with Scarlett. _She's in her element when she's cornered_, he had said bitterly, _I know, I've been there._ Belle had a feeling that had she not pushed Scarlett so far, she would have won this argument. However, she had kicked her to the curb and Scarlett let her, somewhat willingly, for reasons unbeknownst to Belle, up until now. For whatever reason Scarlett O'Hara decided she had taken enough and wouldn't be defeated just for the sake of it. She was stirred like a sleeping lion, which had been rudely awakened.

"Maybe so, but no man could ever accuse me of lyin' about what they are getting' from me. I ain't calculating behind anyone's back and disguise myself with false mannerism. It's with clear intentions that I make my money and I make it myself."

"So do I, without sinking to the lowest pit of dirty affairs. I don't sell my body in the process."

"Don't you? What was it they married you for then, your _beautiful_ soul? Did you not conquer men with them carefully posed dimples and low cut dresses?" Belle spat. "I s'pose you was madly in love with and committed to all three of your husbands? So how's it you're all alone now? Rhett sure ain't dead."

Hatred shone in Scarlett's eyes, she evidently did not bother to disguise her contempt and real feelings anymore. This was outright war and the row was getting nastier by the minute. "Why, Mrs. Watling, you would know about being alone, wouldn't you? After all, what kind of a man would stand by a woman with such easily and frequently wasted virtue?"

"The kind you had and pushed away." Belle's remark stopped Scarlett for a second before her eyes narrowed even further.

"You're just jealous of something you'll never have, especially at your age. Sadly, it's through your own fault, for no matter how many men I push away, you still have none to keep. And it surely isn't the gentlemanly lot that permanently resides in your establishment but the female sex." That hit a sore spot but Belle honestly couldn't decide if it was just a shot in the dark or Scarlett really was onto her.

To Belle's unease, Mrs. Butler demonstrated the same kind of unpredictability as Rhett always did. Suffering Scarlett's insults was bitter realization, too, that although the woman had a good wit about her, never had Belle been subjected to such fast, poignant and deliberately cruel remarks by her opponent. Granted they hadn't spent much time talking to each other, Scarlett was giving an entirely different feel than during their previous encounters. There was something wild and reckless about her that was so typical of Rhett. Of course Belle realized that the unusually sharp tongue was a product of his careful grooming, for everything, including the way she unleashed her carefully calculated remarks, reminded her of Rhett, with the only exception of the humor missing from her tone. She was crude, blunt and straight to the point without any attempt to soften the blow whereas Rhett's often self-depicting humor threw people off balance. If Scarlett threw anybody off balance than it was because of the unexpected forwardness with which she aimed to insult.

In Belle's eyes Rhett couldn't do much wrong but she wasn't a stupid fool. Although she had never told him, she had seen his spoiling Bonnie and she was well aware of his influence on Scarlett, too. In retrospect, as disloyal as a thought as it was to him, it really was no surprise that Scarlett became so fatally hazardous to his feelings. She had to wonder just how wise his decision to spoil his wife had been, for the once famous county belle was now an infamously unstoppable force of nature with undisguised and unapologetic tenacity.

"What has you so sure I want to keep any man?" Belle bit back and she could see the retort threw Scarlett off guard. But she recovered…

"Never before have I seen a woman come so vigorously to the defense of a man that they didn't hold in high esteem. For someone who prefers short them engagements with men, you are mighty defensive about my husband's whereabouts."

Belle was admittedly caught off guard. Rhett had told her so many times how blind Scarlett was, how she failed to be analytical of people and how little comprehension she had of human behavior, unless it was spelled out for her. Belle was feeling unease now, for Scarlett to figure this out about her she sure had to be obvious. Unless, of course, Rhett had spoken to his wife about Belle. That was something she doubted, however, for all his affection and love for Scarlett aside, Rhett always seemed aware of his wife's nature and treated her accordingly. But that was true the other way around, too, for never before had there been a more pressing time like the present, when Belle wished Rhett had revealed something about Scarlett that she could have used against her. But alas, for all his praise about her unbreakable soul, he safeguarded her deepest secrets nevertheless.

"What a calculatin' lil' wench you are, Mizz O'Hara." Belle chuckled to disguise the sore spot her opponent had hit and she regarded Scarlett's feisty and determined expression.

Looking into Atlanta's most recognizable face, Belle couldn't help the jealousy. What she truly envied was that while many years ago Scarlett had a uniquely mature appearance for her evident youth, it had somehow made a full circle and her blossoming maturity was now exquisitely compensated by stubbornly girlish features. But what she hated the most was that no matter what Rhett had said, she had a suspicion he still wasn't entirely over his wife. Why, she didn't know. The only good quality that woman had was her beauty, and beauty could be bought easily – starting within the walls of her own house. With her age came experience and wisdom, however, and Belle understood and had come to accept one thing: she would never entirely understand Rhett Butler. He was a hard man to figure, even if she knew more about him than anyone else, including present company, there were depths of his heart and soul she had never and would never see. She grasped and agreed with his conclusion, that like had to mate like and in a bitterly unfair twist by life, the one woman who ever held the chance of understanding him and making him happy was foolishly uncaring Scarlett O'Hara.

"That's _Mrs. Butler_ to you." Scarlett bit back and Belle didn't disguise her contempt with a chuckle this time, instead her face grew serious.

"Answer to your question I won't give. Rhett ain't told you where he went, so I ain't revealin' it for sure either. But just to ensure you don't leave empty handed, I'll tell you somethin' useful that your famed wit might comprehend. As much as I hate to say it, you two are alike. It takes someone of the same sort to understand Rhett Butler and for some reason, it was you. If you was blind and lost him, 'twas through your own fault and you should be damn sorry about it. Me and mah girls may not hold your social status, but any of my _whores_, as your lot calls them, would be more deservin' of him than you are." Then her eyes scanned Scarlett in a most vulgar way as if she was assessing a breeding mare, trying to decide whether it was worthy of purchase or not. "And now I'll grant you the dignity, or what's left of it, to leave my house on your own accord before I kick you out with great hype. Unless, of course, you wish to stay overnight. I won't deny that you're lookin' pretty enough and luckily for you, you got that one right: no man comes in here for a woman's heart. With those standards you'd do splendidly here. You'd make quite the money too…"

A delicately arched eyebrow went up upon hearing that statement before open disgust overtook Scarlett's face. She then moved to leave, apparently refusing to spend any more time in the building. "Indeed. You'll remain dirt regardless…" She addressed Belle one last time with a final, hard glare.

"But at least I'm honest about it, honey…"

Whether Scarlett refused to dignify her with a retort or was just at a loss for words, Belle didn't know, for guest merely turned and sauntered out of the room, not even asking for an escort out. Stopping by the window, Belle watched her emerge through the back door shortly after that and couldn't help the chuckle when seeing her obvious attempts of a disguise. She eyed her departing figure with a mixture of utter contempt and morbid fascination. Belle had grown accustomed to the life of an outcast and condemned woman with all its disgrace, but, in truth, with all its freedom, too. Despite Rhett's attempts to break Scarlett away from conventions, she was still very much part of the society that, for some baffling and cruel reason, refused to completely cast her out. Belle thought that worse than her own status – or its lack of. Scarlett was stuck between two worlds, for her actions had been condemned by the hypocrites of the Old Guard -- of which she was well aware through all the 'gentlemen' that secretly visited her establishment--, the same Old Guard which wouldn't just simply deny her altogether either. Time and time again they were scandalized by Scarlett's actions as if it was the last they would take of her, yet they would roar again each time Mrs. Butler did something that did not please them, for they relentlessly and stubbornly expected her to act her rank. For a while Belle thought the old fools just wouldn't learn, constantly talking about poor Ellen Robbilard and her heritage, but then clarity came, for it became obvious that it turned into a sickeningly cruel punishment. In Belle's mind, they might as well have chained Scarlett to a pole and lashed her continuously each time she attempted to get away, and that would have been the literal counterpart of their actions. But then again, Scarlett had done plenty to be in that position and Belle felt no pity for her, just admiration of the sheer power that nothing and nobody could break her. The evidence was nothing less than the severe wounds Belle had suffered through the course of their battle.

---

That Scarlett was closer to breaking than ever before Belle couldn't have known. She was shaking with the anger and shame that she had tried to conceal as she hurriedly made her way back to the waiting carriage. This trip was a complete failure. A dreadful failure, no less. It was her very final evidence that her spirit was breaking, for this confrontation with the creature Belle left her utterly drained. She couldn't take it any more, she needed Tara. She needed to get away. She had deliberately scheduled this visit to the night before her departure, she had known that if the meeting went wrong, just like it did, she would be out of town for a good while and wouldn't have to face reminders. And that decision felt very wise at the moment. She just simply couldn't disguise herself during their fight. She wondered where all the teachings of her Mother and Mammy had disappeared, for pretending and acting a part did not come easy any more. She had always had a problem with containing her own wild spirit but lately… lately it was simply impossible. Her admiration for her Mother's self-control grew and reached unattainable heights in her mind. That Scarlett could always fool men much easier than women was one thing, but she could play the part of a 'good woman' of society when she cared and chose to. She had gone to the creature with the intention of finding out where Rhett was but no pretending, no lying down to take the beatings helped. The worst part was that it wasn't all merely pretense, before a very last surge of anger awakened her battered spirit, there really had been a moment of resignation and utter hurt.

Normally those accusing words would have fallen off her, because she had become a master of blocking out opinions she wasn't interested in. But everything Belle Watling had thrown at her hit a sore spot and they hit her good. Accusations of her tarnished reputation and her disgraceful conducts were harder to take than usual but she would have borne them. However, there was the awful truth, and Scarlett's cruelest critic had always been herself, which now admitted the truth values in Belle's words, namely that she had lost Rhett and it was her very own doing. And what also hurt, more than anybody would ever think – as evidence had it, was the complete disregard of her own grief over Bonnie's death.

"_You're cold, selfish and heartless. All the nasty things you said to him when his daughter died, you ain't deservin' of nobody's good will. __"_

Rhett wasn't the only one who lost a child, two even, but that seemed to be the cruel consensus. Her strength that most people found both fascinating and condemnable was taken for granted, going as far as refusing to believe the loss of her child had touched her at all. Scarlett didn't understand why society wanted to see her break so bad. Her own mother had lost three children and never once had she looked anything but composed and strong in the face of tragedies. Scarlett wasn't the best mother, she was perfectly aware, how could she be when she had never even wanted to be one. But she had fed, clothed, protected and fought for the well being of her children with her every fiber in her being. Bonnie was the first child she actually was truly fond of, and her loss did get to her. But life went on, as it always did. Scarlett had learned that one had two choices: either going down or going on. She chose carrying on. But in her careful attempts to block out everything that could hold her back she had developed such iron will and barrier around her that seemed unnatural to most.

But not anymore. She barked her orders to be taken home before she hid in the safe confinement of her carriage, fighting the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She was tired. And, as much as she hated to admit it, the creature was right. She was all alone. Tara would help – or so she desperately hoped.

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Scarlett's Fall

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Gone With The Wind and its characters belong to their respective owners. I make no money out of this, I'm just having fun.**

**A/N: **Thank you so very much for your kind words on the first chapter! I appreciate every R&R as well as the story subscriptions. :) Here's hoping you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.

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Beau had been excited about the aspect of returning to Tara. From the memories he had of the plantation, he had had a great time. It was big, had many places where he could play and was rather exciting. Although the boy had many friends and liked Atlanta, his mood had been considerably dampened since his mother's death. But Scarlett's presence was ever reassuring and for the first time in the past month, he was even excited. He was so eager that he had gotten up early, was ready to leave and looked almost as sparkly as he had been when his mother was alive. It all had Scarlett somewhat surprised when Ashley brought him over and while she didn't necessarily share the child's energy, she took it as a good sign that there would be no problem with the boy. And more problems were the last things she needed.

She regarded Ashley with as much interest as she had regarded Melanie at the beginning. Granted Melanie had earned her approval eventually, Ashley had gradually lost it. She was sure he could feel her sudden drop of interest in him and the reason was clear for both of them. Had it not been a time of grief, Scarlett would have treated him like anybody else that mattered only out of necessity, like Aunt Pittypat. Ashley never mentioned it because for one, he had never had the nerve or upbringing to discuss such topics and second, he was still somewhat in a daze. Scarlett sometimes wondered if he would ever recover from losing Melanie and it was merely her promise to her late friend that had her worried. That and, she admitted, Beau's well being. Taking Beau along meant Ashley would be all alone, save for India and Aunt Pittypat right nearby and Scarlett felt uneasy about that. He was her burden now indeed and aside from having to keep him afloat, she didn't want to risk bringing Beau back to a man who had fallen apart in his absence. So they had agreed he would visit Beau often for it became evident Scarlett was planning a lengthy stay. A month at least. That Beau was absolutely fine going with Scarlett, and even preferred to, was somewhat puzzling to her but then a look at the absent minded Ashley explained it all. He took the loss the same way he had taken the loss of his world during the war, except there was no Melanie behind him to be a pillar as she had been to all of them. It was a sad time for everyone, and for once, Scarlett needed and was determined to have her own getaway. Aunt Pittypat wasn't pleased that she was leaving and for some irritatingly hypocritical reason, neither was India. Just as they had done so during the funeral, they all turned to her during the following weeks as the last one standing and she couldn't bear that now. What reassured them was her promise that she would be back. Eventually. Beyond that she didn't care, for she was entirely tired of both of them.

Her return to Tara was both joyous and not. Mammy was ecstatic. The old woman couldn't bear Atlanta and the grief any more, but there was not a day going by without her mentioning Scarlett and wondering aloud how her lamb was doing. Although she had returned to Tara to be near Ellen and reconnect with her home --- for Tara was as much as hers as the O'Hara's, nobody, especially Suellen, could forget who Mammy's favorite was. Scarlett had been her baby and while she never gave anything less than her best to every other family member, it remained an unspoken but common knowledge. Her constant talk about Scarlett annoyed Suellen, Mammy reminded her of the good old days she missed desperately, and with the old woman's open affection for her older sister, she also reminded her of the deeply rooted bitterness brought on by the family favoring Scarlett altogether. Contrary to many families where the youngest was everyone's darling, Scarlett was such a forceful presence that neither Suellen nor Careen stood a chance. It was always their mother that restored Suellen's faith but in retrospect, or possibly out of outright jealousy and bitter disappointment over how different her life from Scarlett's turned out, even Ellen seemed somewhat partial. Mammy nearly crushed Scarlett with her wide and heavy arms in a hug when she was told Scarlett would be staying long term.

Will welcomed her with his usual timidity, she was the owner after all and even if he was the man of the house, there was never a doubt who was the real head of the family. Although he was now family member, Will knew his place, for it was obvious Scarlett willingly gave him the reins over the plantation. Had he done anything she didn't agree with, his status as the man of the house wouldn't have stopped her from tarnishing his image. But as most of the time, there was an understanding between the two and Will had always accepted Scarlett for who she was. That wasn't any different this time either. Suellen was less than thrilled to see Scarlett so soon again, the two never quite got along as good sisters should. As they grew older and their personality traits solidified with adulthood, there came a permanent wall between them that occasionally got lower but never entirely disappeared. She was nowhere near as hostile or snappy this time as she usually was with Scarlett, but it had nothing to do with her progressing pregnancy. In fact Suellen was downright startled and uncertain in her dealings with her sister for one look at Scarlett and she could tell she was lacking her usual spark. This wasn't the first time in recent months that Scarlett had been under the weather but this was quite different and everybody could sense that. Usually if Scarlett O'Hara was down in spirits it was connected to the aftermath of some physical issue. Not this time. That she didn't necessarily smile wasn't out of ordinary, but she didn't respond to Suellen's greeting jibe and failed to immediately demand information about Tara's dealings, nor did she make any quick orders to be fussed about. Suspicious glances were exchanged but nobody dared to say anything to her. In fact she seemed more than eager to be left alone so after some unusually polite greetings and making sure the children would be cared for, she disappeared in the house and headed straight to her room.

Because she planned on staying for a good while, she actually brought her long time servants along, hence the reunion was complete. Suellen was way too preoccupied with her discomfort of pregnancy and wasn't really interested in trying to interrogate Scarlett about what ailed her but she was undoubtedly curious. As soon as Scarlett's belongings were brought inside, Will had sent the carriage away and went on about his daily routine. He was probably the only one in the household who intended to give Scarlett her peace without restrained curiosity. Not only was it none of his business, but he had a good idea about what was going on anyway. Will had a simple but good head on him and while he understood and even respected Scarlett for her tremendous effort to keep her family afloat, he had always thought her fall was inevitable. A matter of time which, as he suspected, might have come. He had no doubt that she would recuperate, especially here, but just like Mammy had always thought a little fainting and more weakness would do her some good, Will thought Scarlett finally experiencing her vulnerability might humble her a little.

Vulnerable was precisely how Scarlett was feeling. She had hardly stepped through the door of her room when her tears began to flow and she dropped down on the bed, burying her face in her arm and the covers. She felt hurt, weak, humiliated, abandoned, sad and absolutely hopeless. For the first time in her life there was absolutely nobody she could turn to. Ellen had been dead for so many years now, Rhett had left and there was absolutely no certainty that he would be back, Melanie was gone and with her went Scarlett's last resort, too. Everybody whose opinion ever counted or got through to her in some way was gone, except… except…

A large, warm hand ran along Scarlett's back as the bed dipped simultaneously, soothingly rubbing her with gentle confidence. Scarlett could never figure how Mammy could walk so noiselessly sometimes when for the most part people could hear her approach from miles away.

"Now, chil', doan cry now." Mammy tried to comfort her and that was all Scarlett needed for her tears to flow even more rapidly. She lifted her head and turned, wrapping her arms around the robust waist of the only remaining person from a happy but distant past. With her head in Mammy's lap, Scarlett cried like a child, her mind taking her back to days when the reason behind her hardest sobs were something as trivial as slipping while running, tearing her favorite skirt or demonstrating how awfully, awfully sorry she was about pushing Suellen face first into the mud. Or well, how awfully sorry she was about being caught.

Mammy's other hand was now in her hair as she tried to calm her, and she began rocking Scarlett the way she always had when she was little. Just like back in those days, it seemed to work, because soon her sobs subdued and there was nothing left but her tight hold and occasional shaky breath.

"Now, tell Mammy whut haz mah lamb dis gloomy."

"It's all over, Mammy and I'm so tired." Scarlett finally found her voice. "Everything and everyone's gone."

"Ah ain't gone, honey." Mammy protested. "An' Tara fulls of folks!" For a moment Scarlett thought Mammy misunderstood her but then she finished wisely. "You is just need' to open yo eis!"

Maybe she had a point, Scarlett thought, but she wasn't the least bit interested in Suellen and Will. She hated Suellen as much as Suellen hated her and had they not been related by blood, she would have thrown her younger sister out already. At least to Scarlett the memory of their parents and blood relations meant something, but had it all been up to her sister, Tara would be long gone and Suellen wouldn't care the slightest if they lived or died.

"Rhett's gone. For good." Scarlett added, painfully.

Mammy's hand stilled for a second. "Good."

Scarlett was so startled by Mammy's reaction that she finally lifted her head to look at her. Neither woman noticed the small figure idly standing by, peering in through the door that Mammy had forgotten to close upon entering.

Wade Hampton, although on very rare occasions, had seen his mother cry but it was nothing like this. He couldn't make out their murmurs but the sorrow was unmistakable in his mother's sobs. For a boy who had been familiar with despair, it was easy to recognize. His mother had always been the epitome of strength and pure power, and it was a peculiar feeling to see her like this. There was no disappointment or disillusionment that the mighty has fallen, on the contrary. For the first time ever, young Wade felt he could relate to, that there was an actual bond he had shared with the woman he so desperately wanted to know. If anything, the sight made him protective, for while his mother rarely said a gentle word to him, there was nothing and nobody that could threaten him if she was around. She was his ultimate shield, a God, and, quite simply, his mother, and he felt a deep rage upon the possibility that anybody had hurt her like this. Wade never felt real hatred for Scarlett, not even when it would have been warranted. There were moments on her better days, far and between, when she showed a gentler side, moments, albeit rare, when she would flash him a smile or casually, without a reason, would gently pat him over the head while walking past him. They were rare yet memorable and he clung to each single memory like a life line. It was his ultimate proof that his was not an unloving mother, but one whose love and respect did not come easy. A mother who was strong and present, someone who wouldn't die like Beau's. The rise of Scarlett's head startled him, however, and he moved away quickly in fear of being discovered. Feeling guilty for eavesdropping enough on something that he wasn't supposed to, Wade tiptoed away towards the stairs to go find Beau and play.

"Good?" Scarlett repeated Mammy's words, confused, her breath still shaky from the freshly subdued sobs.

Grasping her own apron with one hand, Mammy clutched the back of Scarlett's neck with the other, to hold her in place, while she wiped the tears off her cheeks with the garment.

"Good." Mammy repeated defiantly with a considerable scowl on her face.

"I… I thought you liked him." Scarlett said, barely reacting to Mammy's actions.

"Ah does." She confirmed and released her. "But you two's no good fer each other."

Scarlett rolled her eyes before she could have caught herself, knowing full well that Mammy was about to come out with her mules comparison.

"Doan go rollin' yo' eis at me, Miz Scarlett!" Mammy thundered and Scarlett's reaction was nothing short of unexpected. 'Her lamb' smiled, that true, affectionate smile that always melted her heart in an instant. Scarlett had often tried to use that to her advantage, but unfortunately for her, Mammy could always tell the difference and never fell for any fake attempts. This was anything but fake, and her anger was gone in a second, she was smirking back at Scarlett in no time. But she could have shouted and could have gone in a furious rage for all Scarlett cared. Here mere presence gave her a sense of normality.

"But Mammy, he's… he's the only one who understands me." Or well, used to.

"An' whut did he do wid it? Spoiled mah lamb, that's whut! Destroyed yer reputation! He a good man deep down, but no gempmum shud be treatin' no lady da way he do!" Rhett had certainly won Mammy over and had earned some of her respect, but her upbringing and deeply rooted convictions that were edged into her personality never accepted Rhett's roguish behavior. While she loved her Miss Scarlett regardless of her scandalous conducts, Rhett didn't grow up under her supervision and couldn't win her deep affection like Scarlett did. And seeing her lamb so absolutely crushed and so abandoned now, her old but big heart went out for her. In Mammy's mind Scarlett's sake always came first but she was smart enough of a woman to realize it didn't necessarily meant taking her side, and often thought that every once in a while she would have deserved '_a good ole' spankin''_ indeed.. This time, however, she was taking her side even if, unbeknownst to her, Scarlett herself couldn't be partial to herself.

Scarlett was startled for a second. "What, what do you mean?"

"You either luv a man or doan. And you Miz Scarlett, yous should've act like a good wife but no. Not mah lamb." Mammy sighed dramatically. "But no gempmum forces no lady to… "

Scarlett could have sworn Mammy blushed as she trailed off which was difficult with her complexion but she very well could have just projected her own embarrassment. She could feel that her cheeks were on fire and she lowered her head, burying it in Mammy's lap again to avoid her gaze. Oh how humiliating this was.

"How do you… how do you know?" Scarlett's voice was muffled but the moment the question was out of her lips, she figured the answer on her own. There was very little Mammy didn't know.

"Ah heard yo' scream. We all did! Oh how heartbrokun Miz Ellen wud be if she were here an' ter know, she own daughter waz treated so bad! Mist' Gerald wud be out of he mind wid rage." While duties of a wife was expected to be followed, treating a woman bad was frowned upon – if it became public knowledge anyway.

Scarlett wanted to die on the spot. A part of her wanted to justify Rhett's actions, to shout how ecstatic that night turned out to be despite her initial protest and scream on the stairs but that would have scandalized Mammy and, frankly, some of the last remains of her childhood teachings held her back, too. She was aware that no lady should hold her head up after what happened that night, no matter how pleasurable and glorifying it felt.

"I made him mad, Mammy." Scarlett murmured meekly in a weak attempt of a defense.

"You didn't luv'im, dat wuz made him mad."

"But I do. I do love him." She protested like a stubborn child. "But he… he said he doesn't care anymore. But he must care, I know he does. He must."

Mammy stiffened a little, as if realizing something for the first time. "Whut iz mah lamb sayin'. He ain't goin' for a divorce, do he? Oh da disgrace!"

"No." Scarlett was quick to interrupt and she hiccoughed. "He said he'd return occasionally to keep up appearances."

"Good. You is stayin' hear. Tara'z where mah lamb belongs." And with that Mammy began stroking Scarlett's hair more vigorously. Scarlett remained silent, there was no use in arguing with Mammy and frankly, she didn't even have the strength anymore. She merely reveled in the safety of her arms, momentarily reassured that everything would be alright and this was exactly where she wished to stay.

---

The first few days at Tara were disappointing for Scarlett. Her initial expectation that her home would miraculously give her strength back was pushed unreasonably high by her impatience. Nothing and nobody could lift her spirits albeit nobody really tried either. Given her behavior in recent years, they preferred staying away when she was in her moods. Mammy was the only one who remained unaffected and refused to be thrown off, but given her slowly waning strength and the knowledge that Scarlett had, after all, lost a child, a husband and a close friend almost at once, made her somewhat hesitant, too. That was, unless something wasn't to her liking. Scarlett was almost envious of how vigorous Mammy was again. Although she didn't easily move around any more, she regained some of her own strength and peace at Tara. Scarlett longed for that, too, and she didn't understand why it didn't come as easy for her anymore.

Despite her resentment and jealousy, Suellen found great delight in a peculiar aspect of Mammy's favoring Scarlett. Whoever Mammy was really and truly fond of suffered her scolding more than anybody else. It didn't mean the old woman let anybody off the hook easily but that she was especially hard on those she loved best. Thus, nobody could scold, reprimand and even humiliate Scarlett the way Mammy could and Suellen always witnessed that with glee. With Scarlett's plans of long term relocation to Tara, it felt like they were thrown back into the past when they had been growing up. And boy did Mammy treat them, and most of all Scarlett, like a child! There was something uninhibited in Mammy now that was missing in the past. Her rheumatism bothered her, fatigue overtook her easily yet she emerged more obnoxious than ever, probably to compensate for her physical hindrances. It almost felt like a carefree attitude had taken over, now that she had most of her life behind her, something that she would and could have never allowed herself as a slave.

Everyone was always bewildered when Mammy forced Scarlett into submission, which looked nothing less than a miracle in light of the latter's reckless behavior in recent years. It didn't come as hard as the unsuspecting family thought, however. Mammy herself wasn't sure that she was strong enough anymore for constant fights with her lamb. It was actually Scarlett who, whether out of fear, her own battered spirit or her respect for Mammy, gave in. But whenever Scarlett was inclined to put up a fight, to her astonishment Mammy blatantly refused her orders. What normally would have looked like a servant's disobedience, Mammy simply reached an inner peace as being the eldest family member and nobody said or thought otherwise. She looked at Scarlett as if she was her own more than ever, and if she deemed it more benefiting to disregard the fact that she was her mistress, then she gladly did so. What nobody knew was that Mammy was dead set on fixing Scarlett. Although Mammy felt a good couple of more years in her body, she was aware she wouldn't be around much longer and as long as there was breath left in her body, she would make sure her Miss Scarlett and her children were on the right path.

As for Scarlett, as the days turned into weeks, she felt downright depressed and became irritable. But it was her growing silence and absent minded spells that puzzled everyone, because there was no telling when she would emerge from them with a flaring temper. Thus, her mood became more erratic than ever before. Something as trivial as a missing item could set off her thunderous rage while on other occasions events that everyone was sure would have her fuming failed to move her at all. Mammy was reminded of a similar melancholy that had gripped her lamb right after Wade was born but she knew well enough what had ailed her then. This time her loss was much more severe and, as much as she had tried to reassure her that she wasn't alone, had to admit Scarlett had less helping hands. Scarlett absolutely refused to return to or hear of Atlanta and didn't even open Aunt Pittypat's letters for she knew already what was in them. The household found that the easiest way to deal with Scarlett was not dealing with her at all. They avoided her, happily granting her wish to be left alone. That was what really worried Mammy. Never in her life did Miss Scarlett prefer to be alone, in fact she hated it. She completely lacked any kind of stimulus and Mammy knew Scarlett needed something that would motivate her.

The only person who remained unaffected by her change of moods was none other than Beau, because he was the only one that didn't have to submit to her temper. Each time she looked into his eyes, she saw Melanie looking back at her and Scarlett missed her more than ever. Scolding Beau would have meant scolding Melanie and she was afraid of that last little connection slipping away, too. That didn't mean she was overtly tolerant of the boy's occasional but overbearing clinging. For the most part Wade, Ella and little Susie preoccupied him and he had a lot of fun visiting Big Sam at the cotton fields with Will. Ashley had visited him three times so far and while the boy always parted with him amidst heavy tears, his crying stopped by the time his father reached the train station. Scarlett wouldn't have protested if Ashley had wanted to take Beau back to Atlanta but he didn't. He felt Beau was better off here until he could hire someone to run the mills for him.

Sometimes the absence of Melanie overshadowed everything and Beau had to seek out the only person that was the closest to his mother. It was one rainy afternoon that Scarlett, comfortably seated on a stool by the window of the quiet parlor, was dwelling in her own emotional turmoil when Beau entered.

"Auntie?" He called in a soft, teary voice.

Scarlett turned her head to look at him and watched him approach her without the faintest trail of fear that always gripped Wade's body.

"Do you think Mother can see me now?" He asked with hopeful eyes, stopping only inches away from Scarlett.

She threw a quick glance behind the boy, looking for any sign of Mammy for she could always deal with these things much better. When it was apparent there was no one to come to her aid, she let out a soft sigh.

"I'm sure she can, Beau. And I'm also sure she smiles each time she sees you having a mighty good time with Wade and Ella." Aside from trying to reassure him, Scarlett hoped it would motivate the boy to go find her children and preoccupy himself. Oh how she wished Melanie was here. She was so hopelessly out of her depth in moments like this.

"May I stay with you for a while? I'll be quiet." His voice was desperate and while Scarlett never knew any child that wasn't fidgety and could remain quiet, she gave in.

"Alright." She said and turned back to the window. Two short arms slid around her waist and a small head came to rest under her chin, giving her a start. Beau had kept his promise. He was quiet and still but this wasn't what she was expecting.

"Beau?" Scarlett questioned.

"Mother always held me when I was scared." He murmured. Her own children wouldn't have the nerve to touch her, let alone hug her, unless she gave clear permission. Beau was just as unsuspecting of her intolerant nature as Melanie had been. Scarlett never cared for friendly touches, walking arm in arm with friends, hugs, kisses on cheeks or reassuring embraces unless it was her mother or Mammy, yet Melanie always managed to cross those boundaries. She was unsuspecting with a good will and Beau was doing the exact same thing now. Resigned, Scarlett let out a deep sigh and simply wrapped an arm around him. He remained still and seemed entirely content just to be in her embrace. If that kept him quiet, then be it, Scarlett thought.

Wade, who had been searching for Beau, stood at the doorway, transfixed at the sight in the parlor. He wanted to cry and rush in to pull Beau roughly away in a jealous rage. He was hugging _his_ mother. It was entirely unfair of her to hug another boy. She never hugged him like that.

"Whut young Mist' Wade's doin' in hear standin' idle when yous should be gettin' ready fer dinnah!" Mammy's sharp voice not only made the little boy jump in fright but also attracted all attention. "Run along now ter wash yo' 'ands quickly. You toos, Mist' Beau!" Mammy's orders were clear and Beau left Scarlett's side quicker than lightning. She watched him go and observed as he joined Wade, looking much better in spirits than he had looked earlier. But Wade didn't return Beau's friendly poke, if anything he pulled away and moved grumpily. None of the hurt and disappointment displayed on her son's face registered in Scarlett's mind.

Happy that Beau was not bothering her anymore, Scarlett simply turned her attention back to the rain. But Mammy saw everything that Scarlett didn't, and it was hard for her not to feel disappointed. She saw the longing in young Wade's eyes, saw the reassurance something as simple as a hug gave to Beau and saw how easily her own influence escaped Scarlett's attention. Worst of all was that Mammy felt there was absolutely no use mentioning it all to her now for there was very little that got through to her these days.

"Like Ah said, dis dinnah time, Mizz Scarlett!"

"Thank you Mammy but I'm not hungry. I'm not having dinner today."

"Oh yes you is!" Mammy was ready for the battle, there was no doubt about that. All Scarlett needed was a glance in her direction to assess that and she stood without a word. Normally that would have pleased Mammy but not this time. Scarlett looked like she lacked every passion of life and it was getting worse by the day.

Even Suellen was subdued in her dealings with her sister. There wasn't much love lost between the two but she hated to admit, even to herself, that the very person she hated with a passion was the only constant pillar in her life. Whether near or far, Scarlett was taking care of everything and she had learned to accept the fact, especially after marriage, that she would always depend on Tara. Will was an apt caretaker of the plantation and Suellen was grateful to him for saving her honor but there was no passionate love between them. It always gave her strength to channel all her sorrow and hatred towards Scarlett, for she had no fear of Scarlett shattering, thus providing a constant fighting opponent. Suddenly faced with the very fact that even her sister had her limits had caught Suellen completely off guard. She was sure Will could carry on with the plantation had anything happened to the eldest O'Hara girl but Will was plain boring. Each time Scarlett failed to respond to her provocations, Suellen's twisted need to let her anger fly uninhibited crumbled, and all her pent up tension felt suffocating. And if there was anyone who could take her back to the good old days that she missed so terribly then it was her sister. Memories of their catfights as children, their rivalry for their mother's affection, rare but mischievous alliances to pull a joke on Careen always rang a bell whenever she was faced with Scarlett's temper and, in a sickening way, she loved it. Even during their nastiest fights when she would have loved nothing else than to grab her hair and pull it hard, Suellen felt joy. Their connection was anything but conventional but it was a connection and sadly, it was now waning.

She may have not been as smart as Scarlett but one thing even she understood: something had to get through to her sister to awaken her sleeping spirit… or what was left of it. Even her erratic outbursts ceased to come these days and Suellen wanted nothing more than to shake her, so that they could hate each other again and they could resume fighting. But none of her usual retorts got the usual reaction, in fact Mammy's triumphs over Scarlett stopped looking like triumphs. Granted Mammy still was the only one Scarlett truly listened to, Suellen had once caught their childhood nurse actually apologizing for being too harsh with her. But even that failed to gather anything more than an impassionate "_That's alright, Mammy_." Scarlett simply looked bored and empty as if nothing was left for her in life. That puzzled Suellen the most, for she was only 28, rich, married, and she had fought tooth and nail during the war, clearly conveying her absolute refusal to give up on life. Rhett's absence was of course obvious to everyone but Suellen gave that little thought. If anything, that should have been a relief to Scarlett. Not only did Suellen dislike Rhett but she wished Will would follow suit and leave for a while to give her a break.

Then one day on the fourth week since her return, after a simple, uncaring dismissal by Scarlett, Suellen had made a decision. If sister dearest needed something to stimulate her, then she would stimulate her. For once Suellen understood that she was trying to hurt Scarlett but, maybe for the first time ever, wasn't doing it for the sake of hurting her but to bring her back to the living. To Mammy's dismay and disapproval, Suellen became relentless in her attempts to stir Scarlett. Soon the entire household began frowning upon her conduct because while they realized Scarlett was anything but herself, they also did not wish Tara to turn into a battlefield. The field workers breathed easier these days whenever Scarlett was around, because she didn't complain, bereft or scold them for their work not being to her liking. The sharecroppers weren't sweating the deadline of payment for Mrs. Butler never once reminded them of the approaching date and the house servants weren't as uptight anymore whenever she stepped into the room --she hardly acknowledged them. There was a great amount of pity involved, too, and the consensus was that poor woman had done and suffered enough and maybe she deserved her peace. Well pity was one thing Suellen refused to feel for Scarlett and shockingly, Will didn't do much to subdue his wife. This might have been the very first time he saw the sense and logic in Suellen's actions and he had a feeling she might have the right approach. Mammy, Dilcey, Pork and even Prissy felt Miss Scarlett needed help but Suellen did not come across helpful in their eyes.

"…and if you bothered to do more than stare out of your head all day long, you would have noticed there's shortage of straw and supplies in the stables." Suellen addressed Scarlett in a hard tone one late afternoon.

If Will scolded his wife for anything then it was only to remind her not to talk like that in front of the children. But when they weren't present, he remained silent and seemed to mind his own business. Not even Mammy's killer gazes could stop Suellen in her determination. The servants always turned fearful eyes to Scarlett whenever her sister fired off an exceptionally mean remark but none of the expected reaction came.

"Will can handle it." Scarlett replied simply with a shrug. More often than not, to Suellen's annoyance, Scarlett wouldn't even give her the courtesy of looking at her.

As the time passed, Suellen successfully brought tension back into the house but it was entirely different kind. Everyone was uptight about the younger O'Hara girl's menacing ways, nobody could grasp why Scarlett took any of the insults that Suellen fired at her, and there was an eager anticipation and fear of looming disaster. But each tense moment met an anti-climatic end, for Scarlett either left the room without the slightest care in the world, or she simply ignored Suellen altogether. Albeit reluctantly, but everyone admitted Miss Suellen was proving one point for sure; Scarlett was simply missing. Pork and Dilcey feared she would end up like Mister Gerald but Mammy would hear none of it, although secretly her heart was breaking from the possibility.

But all that ended one early afternoon in October. Oddly enough nobody expected something as trivial and childish to actually cause a change but that was precisely what happened…

It happened to be a sunny, dry and warm day and Mammy thought it a great opportunity for the children to take advantage of it. After properly having them dressed by Prissy, she sent them outside and, since she felt Suellen wasn't getting enough fresh air which did no good to the growing baby inside her, ushered her out, too. Because Scarlett cared very little about what anybody did these days and because Will was far from being strict, Mammy, after some thinking, allowed the house servants to linger outside by the front porch for a while, too, spending a peaceful hour in the open air together. Even Cookie joined them for a very short while and it nearly turned into an impromptu family picnic, except for the absence of food. The children were busy playing with each other while dragging poor Prissy around, Pork, Dilcey and Cookie enjoyed each other's company in a quiet corner, while Mammy, Will, and Suellen seated themselves in the comfortable chairs.

Nobody knew how but Mammy had persuaded Scarlett to emerge from the house, but she opted to sit alone on the steps. The view of Tara looked nearly as glorious as it did before the war, it was only the number of gravestones and the names on them that were cruel reminders of a time that was gone forever. But one person remained restless and that was Suellen. Aside from wanting to draw Scarlett out, she was now urged on by her own annoyance with the fact that everybody felt sorry for Scarlett and that she, Suellen, was frowned upon for her conduct. And once again, she blamed Scarlett. Although she was only halfway through her pregnancy yet, it made her restless and sitting for too long wasn't comfortable. She began pacing after a while, keeping a keen eye on Scarlett while both Mammy and Will kept a suspicious eye on her.

"I don't like this heat. Why can't Georgia have typical fall like some other states?" She whined grumpily and turned her head to Scarlett. "Although for some of us it could be hell freezing over they still wouldn't notice. And maybe it is hell."

Suellen noted with some surprise that Scarlett actually looked at her when she made the remark but after a gaze that didn't linger more than a few seconds, returned her attention to the far lands as if she hadn't heard anything of interest. A bucket of water right by Scarlett that a servant had left carelessly behind now seemed awfully tempting to Suellen. Every effort on her part to stir her sister was in vain and her frustration was rising to new heights. She never could win an argument against Scarlett and it looked like this was yet another war she was going to lose. Well not so if she had anything to say or do about it. With a newfound idea, she casually strolled up to her sister and stopped by her side, leering down at her peaceful form.

"I'm not surprised you were Pa's favorite. You are just as queer as he was by the end." She said crossly and with great venom. Mammy was rendered speechless from fury and she could only gasp, but Will was now very alert. Still, there was no visible reaction on Scarlett's part but Suellen didn't wait long for one either. As swiftly as she could, she grabbed the bucket and unceremoniously hosed her sister down. It hadn't even been completely empty yet when Will suddenly appeared, shockingly swift despite his handicap, and he instantly snatched the bucket from her hands.

Suellen's plan finally worked and she watched with morbid delight how quickly Scarlett jumped to her feet. Will didn't stop there however, he quickly moved towards Scarlett and Suellen's sudden rush of triumph quickly slipped away, to be replaced by panic. She had indeed awoken Scarlett's fiery temper, so much so that Will deemed it important to step in. Never before had she faced such a murderous gleam in Scarlett's slanting green eyes. She had no idea what Scarlett intended to do but before she could have found out, she watched, somewhat startled, as Will grabbed her sister by the waist and swung her around, away from his wife.

"She's with child!" Came Will's most confusing cry until realization dawned on her; Scarlett was ready for a hit back -- literally.

"Go inside!" Will practically ordered and Suellen, although taken aback by the unusual harshness in his tone, finally grasped the seriousness of the situation. For once, she obeyed without protest and she obeyed quickly.

In the matter of a few seconds the mood had considerably changed and gone was the peaceful and nostalgic feel from the air. The servants were all on their feet, although frozen, and by the time Suellen disappeared in the house, Mammy had risen, too.

"Turn me loose, you fool!" Scarlett cried in rage and struggled vehemently. Gathering all her strength, with one powerful push shoved Will away, hardly realizing he merely decided to grant her wish and simply released her.

"I apologize, Miss Scarlett." He said in his usual subdued but matter of fact tone and held his hands up in demonstration that he meant no harm. She looked anything but forgiving, however. "Let's just all cool down!" Will reasoned.

"I'm cool enough as it is you mule, don't you see?" She bit back harshly, wiping her forehead and face with her sleeve -- which did little to dry her off given that the garment was just as wet.

"Prissy! Doan stand thar starin' lak a goat, run quickly an' get Miz Scarlett a towel!" Mammy ordered and this time Prissy didn't need to be told twice. "Miz Scarlett, get inside dis minute ter change before you catch a cold. You is drippin' wet!"

Although fuming, Scarlett gave Will one last prolonged, angry glare before she entered the house, closely followed by Mammy.

"Oh dear, they're goin' ter fight it out in there." Dilcey's panicky voice broke through.

"Ain't gonna be no fight." Will replied calmly as he sunk back to his seat. "Suellen's succeeded in her plan and then some… and she knows it. So now she's behind a locked door, fo' sure." He explained the very reason why he didn't think his wife needed any protection inside. Useful as the idea of the plan had been, Will realized Suellen hadn't actually thought it through. Whether it was momentarily flare or a good awakening, Will didn't know yet, but Scarlett certainly was stirred.

Only a short time passed before a fuming Mammy returned to the porch, her impending arrival unmistakable by her loud and ever growing grumble. Suellen had, indeed, locked her door and refused to see anyone, claiming she had an awful headache. Mammy was utterly scandalized and everyone knew the younger O'Hara girl wouldn't get away without a thorough scolding and that she was merely prolonging it. Nobody envied her. To make matters worse, Scarlett went from bad to worse, for while her depressed and somber mood was eerie, her now blind rage was utterly frightening. Had she not wanted to check on the children, Mammy would have stayed rooted to Scarlett's door until she emerged. What she didn't know was that when Prissy had gotten Scarlett the towel, the latter ordered the long time servant to run out and have her horse saddled up for she intended to go for a ride. So when Scarlett emerged in her riding habit with her still damp her in a net, Mammy was fuming.

"No you ain't gwine ride any horse! Yo' hair's still wet, you's gwine catch a cold lak dat! Miz Scarlett! Come back here! It ain't summah!"

But Scarlett paid no attention to anyone and Mammy was the only person who dared to address her. Her rage radiated off her like some visible and colorful aura and just like any other times when she was frustrated, people opted to stay out of her way. Will's eyes followed her silently, Cookie excused herself to return to the kitchen and even Dilcey slipped away without notice.

"She'll be aight." Will told Mammy, who simply let out a frustrated sigh in response.

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Scarlett's Rise

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Gone With The Wind and its characters belong to their respective owners. I make no money out of this, I'm just having fun.**

**A/N: **Once again thank you for all the reviews, and thank you all for the insightful reactions to my story. Everything has a purpose and I'm thrilled to see it triggers your thoughts!

---

As always when Scarlett wanted to shut out opinion that wasn't to her liking, she had actively ignored Mammy's warnings and their truth value. Although her damp hair eventually got dry, she did feel the cold all over her scalp. It was unpleasant, but she needed to get away and she had been yearning for a little ride. The idea had been brewing in her mind the last few days and Suellen's actions finally prompted her to do it. Either that or she would have considered seriously harming someone who was her own flesh and blood. Anger surged through her veins like it hadn't in a very long time, and she strangely reveled in it. She gripped the reigns tighter as she got further and further from the stables and the house. She felt like she was on fire and had it not been for Will, she might have really harmed Suellen. It was a strange feeling though, she had to admit that. It was like she was alive again after a long, miserable and seemingly never ending sleep.

The last few weeks had gone in a daze. It was as if that fog she had always been afraid of closed around her and there was no escape. Sometimes it was hard to tell whether she was awake or dreaming, for the same kind of despair and emptiness gripped her continuously. But she was slowly finding her way out of it – when awake, that is. It wasn't that Suellen, or the others for that matter, didn't get through to her, it was merely the fact that she didn't care. At all. Whatever they said held not much importance for her and there wasn't anything Scarlett felt like doing. For the first time in her life she was aimless. In the last ten years or so, there had always been something that kept her going despite the hardships. This time there was nothing. She wasn't interested in Ashley anymore, money she had enough and she wouldn't have known where to look for Rhett even if she had felt strong enough. The only thought that made her start occasionally was the fear that Rhett might want a divorce after all and not only was that disgraceful but would possibly set her back financially, again. Even that failed to faze her for long, however, and when she realized it, an alarm finally went off in her head. There was an increasing numbness inside her that continued growing slowly and as the days progressed, it became harder and harder to get out of bed and to do anything at all. Had it not been for Mammy's pampering, people might have completely forgotten about her famous vanity, too.

Scarlett longed for her Mother more than ever. She was the only person in the whole wide world who could make everything alright and the knowledge that she would never be back added to her hopelessness. She was breaking. No, she was broken. And to think Rhett had been so sure that would never happen. Well, he had been wrong and what a loss it was for him to miss out on this spectacle. Ironically, this was the only thing he was wrong about.

She drew the reins to have the horse gallop in a slower pace and she savored the sight of Tara in the afternoon sun. She could almost believe she was 16 again without the slightest care in the world except for her big hopes for the future. The fresh air filled her lungs and she realized how much she had missed it. She had spent the better part of the last five weeks inside the house. Her hopelessness was severe, she knew, and that was due to the fact that for the first time, Scarlett had stopped and took the time to think. Her self-depicting honesty was just as cruel to herself as it always was, but unlike most other times, she didn't ignore her predicament. She was grieving the loss of Melanie, Bonnie, Rhett and her driving force. She felt bitter and frankly, she felt like a fool. Not many people actually believed that she had feelings but those feelings were exactly what had pushed her into that deep despair. Scarlett found it hard to deal with it all. She didn't understand why it hurt so much to lose a woman she hated for years, why it was so painful to lose a child she didn't even want in the first place and why Rhett's words and departure felt like a knife right in the middle of her chest. Well, maybe that wasn't true. She understood why, what she didn't understand was why she needed to lose them to realize their importance and, most of all, why she couldn't stop caring. She desperately wanted to pass them off as unimportant, but she couldn't, and she felt out of control. So she had simply let go of everything and let herself fall. She was weak and tired, there was not an ounce of strength left in her body to fight. Nothing mattered anymore.

And then something had changed. She couldn't pinpoint what exactly had set it off, but she had slowly become aware of her surroundings again. People around her continued with their daily routine. Her heart was still beating and she was still breathing. These revelations were simple yet fell nothing short of miraculous. It had been one morning a few days earlier when Scarlett had lacked any kind of strength or will to leave her bed ever again, and that was when it struck her. She had two choices left; continuing with her downward spiral toward the bottom, which was frighteningly near, or go on with the business of living. She chose the latter. Soon it became apparent Scarlett O'Hara was fighting a new battle, the worst yet, this time with herself. While that moment of spur had got her out of bed, emptiness overtook her again as soon as she left her room. Since then she had been trying to get to the surface, for it was clear she was still submerged in self pity and sorrow, but it was that glaring feel of emptiness that frightened her the most. Without a motivation, she was as good as dead -- and she wasn't ready to die. Yet the pull was strong and each time she wanted to stand up, doubts began plaguing her. It was horribly difficult to shake her depressed mood, much harder than after Wade's birth, almost impossible even.

She sighed. Tara was beautiful again, she mused, as she looked around and got off the horse. Away from the house, the children, from Suellen, from everyone… she was finally one with Tara, it was just the two of them. Summer was gone yet the winter destruction was still held off by Fall. Or maybe it was Tara that refused to give in just yet, stubbornly holding on to her beautiful glory. Wherever Scarlett looked, she felt nothing but familiarity. The trees, the plantation, even the river alongside her property gave her peace. How much she had fought for this, and now it felt like Tara was fighting for her by trying to show off its beauty and holding on to its own allure to get to her.

She looked at her horse, Queen, and patted her neck gently. Her loyal mare was as patient with her as ever. For some reason the animal had immediately taken to her and was hard pressed to accept any other riders. Scarlett suspected the reason lied in the similarity in their nature. If she was with Scarlett, she soared, she was free and was hardly restrained. She was a saddle horse but wild in spirit. Scarlett had picked up a thing or two from Mrs. Tarleton from her youth and put them to good use. The woman had even taken a look at Queen when the horse initially arrived at Tara. The mare was to her liking and she could immediately assess its nature.

"Never break her spirit." Mrs. Tarleton had said, as usual, but there was a knowing gleam in her eyes as she turned to Scarlett. "This is a good little mare, you'll be pleased with her. You should be, you two are alike, but while this beauty's got a rider to hold the reigns, who's to control you? Don't you dare hurting this darling by reckless handling!" That Mrs. Tarleton was more worried about the horse wasn't necessary a surprise but Scarlett had had no idea back then what the woman meant. Scarlett had liked the horse from the moment she laid eyes on her and they quickly built up a connection. Now she knew. Each time she took out another horse for a ride upon her visits, she was constantly annoyed by their restraint and inability to take her as far and as fast as Queen could.

"If only Pa could see Tara now, Queen. He would be so pleased." She told her, knowing she was as good as talking to herself. The thought of her father brought her back to Suellen, and her eyes narrowed.

None of her mean, hurtful and provocative words form the past weeks was lost on Scarlett. She understood and heard them all, she simply had not bothered to care or react. Truth be told, however, that alone had been a wake up call of how deep she had sunk. Being related, Suellen shared some of Scarlett's traits, and inability to stop was one of them. Unfortunately for her younger sister, she had failed to notice the feelings slowly but gradually creeping back into Scarlett. She had heard her comparison of Tara to hell alright, she had grasped the disgraceful words she had uttered about their father but she had been so preoccupied with the battle within herself that it wasn't until the cold water hit her that she felt a literal symbolism of that slow suffocation that had been gripping at her soul. The need to live kicked in then and all the pain, hurt, anger, frustration she had ever felt rushed back into her at once in an aid to give her something to hold on to. She wanted to hurt Suellen for her actions and she wanted to hurt Will for restraining her. She had spent weeks in her own cage, she wanted nothing more than to feel free and uninhibited again and there was that fool holding her down. So the ride worked, in fact she felt it was doing wonders to her.

.

The despair remained, sadness and loss was still lurking around the corner but Scarlett, standing with her favorite horse, looking over the fields of Tara, made a decision. She had had enough. Tara had been destroyed, burned nearly to the ground during the war, but she had fought for it until it flourished again. And it looked so beautiful once more, all her efforts had been worth it. So Scarlett made a vow that she would do it again but this time she would do it to herself. She would rise again. Simple as that.

---

In the upcoming days Scarlett realized that was easier said than done. There was no miraculous change in her but keen eyes could notice life slowly findings its way back into her. Suellen, for the most part, avoided her and although Scarlett was still on her way to recovery, evidence had been given that she wasn't as lost as they had thought -at all. So people often turned a fearful eye to her whenever the sisters happened to be in the same room together but, save for a few fiery and meaningful looks, nothing happened. Suellen puzzled everyone with her contradictory behavior. She kept a distance from Scarlett and hardly talked to her, evidently realizing she had crossed a line, but there was an evil satisfaction in her look, too. Mammy's rage with Suellen was soon forgotten and overshadowed by her joy, for she was the one who could immediately notice the change in her lamb. Scarlett's appetite slowly returned, she addressed and acknowledged Mammy for more than mere necessities and, most of all, didn't need Mammy's nagging to get ready for the day. Mammy's heart was bursting with happiness when, one morning, found Scarlett standing by her mirror, putting her hair up while waiting for her to lace her. What Mammy wasn't too fond of was Scarlett's daily rides. The Indian summer provided a pleasant enough weather but Mammy eyed Scarlett suspiciously. She never trusted her on a horse and ever since Bonnie's death she had been downright paranoid by the very thought of anything happening to Scarlett – especially in light of the cruel fact that Bonnie, indeed, had been just like her mother.

Unbeknownst to Mammy, her fears weren't unfounded. Feeling the horse beneath her gave Scarlett new, extended strength and she wished nothing more than to feel powerful again. Queen provided just that and the two were unstoppable. Each single day they roamed the excessive fields of Tara and the more she became a part of it, the more of her own strength returned.

"Why, what fitting name you have, Queen." She would pat the horse with great glee after an exceptionally good day and would make sure they topped it the next time.

She was still, for the most part, oblivious to some changes around her. Ashley's visits were regular but Scarlett never bothered to spend much time with him. Whether he was told of her condition or not, she didn't know but it was unlikely that he noticed on his own. He was like a living ghost, a shadow of the great Ashley Wilkes he had once been. Beau got used to Tara again but he was, from time to time, homesick. Whenever he wasn't enjoying quiet moments with Scarlett, who, quite often, didn't even notice him, he was comforted by Mammy. But he hadn't been blind to Scarlett's slow decline.

"She just tired diz days!" Mammy would tell him whenever he inquired about Scarlett and the boy was happy to see life slowly returning to his Aunt -- until she began taking daily rides. Her absence was sometimes hard on him.

But what preoccupied the boy the most was Wade… and the change in their friendship. They had always got along in the past but there was an unexplainable change of atmosphere. Wade was mean, sometimes icy, and to Beau's bewilderment, preferred Ella and Susie's company. These days they fought more than ever before and Beau wasn't having such a good time at Tara anymore. To her great shock, Scarlett witnessed a particularly nasty fight between them one day that finally opened her eyes.

She had just arrived back to the stables and handed Queen off when, while pulling her gloves off, heard an irritably raised voice undoubtedly coming from a row. Scarlett immediately recognized her son's voice and followed the direction where it was coming from. Not far from the house was where she found Beau and Wade behaving nothing like the good friends she thought them to be. There were tears in Beau's eyes which were matched by Wade's but, to Scarlett's surprise, there was intensity on her boy's face she hadn't seen before.

"You ruin everything!" Wade shouted from the top of his voice, unsuspecting of his mother's approach. "I'm so sick of you!" He bellowed and by then Mammy's keen eyes were watching him like a hawk from the porch, too. "Why did you have to come here?" Wade's rage was so uncharacteristically violent, he gave Beau a shove with as much strength as he could muster. The boy didn't fall but it was with great difficulty that he could keep his balance.

"Wade Hampton!" Scarlett's voice sounded like thunder and Wade jumped in fright. "What in heaven's name are you doing?!" This fiery look of his mother was precisely what both Ella and Wade were terrified of and tried avoiding at all costs. He went pale and faint for a moment but her presence also reminded him of the very reason of his outburst. Why was it that Beau got the hug while all she ever gave him, Wade, was scolding? All he wanted so desperately was her to love him.

Wade was unable to speak as tears welled in his eyes and he felt deeply ashamed. She definitely wasn't proud of him now, neither did she look the least bit loving. Not even Mammy's appearance and her obvious disapproval, that would give him nightmares on any other day, matched the severity of the look his mother was giving him.

"Whut iz goin' on hear?! Is dat how a good boy s'posed ter behave?" Mammy was just beginning her dreadful scolding in that deep, ever frightening voice of hers but this was one time Wade couldn't bear to go through it, not with the way his mother was staring it him. He spun around and then darted off without a word. Scarlett, utterly scandalized, stared after his retreating back until he disappeared in the house.

_Children_, she thought in frustration. No wonder she never wanted any. They were nothing but trouble. Mammy's attention then turned to Beau, who was just as frightened of Mammy's powerful presence, but Beau had no answer to give as to what had set Wade off. Knowing full well that the boy was still dealing with his grief, Mammy decided to let him off the hook and sent him inside, instructing him to go the kitchen and ask Cookie to give him some of the cake she was to serve later that day. They watched him hurry inside and only when he was out of earshot did Scarlett notice that Mammy's deeply disapproving look was now focused on her. Angered by Wade and puzzled by the mystery of what had happened, she was startled to realize that Mammy looked like she was about to give her a good old scolding, too. _What on earth for_, she wondered, for once she thought they were on the same side.

"I don't know what possessed that boy." Scarlett muttered in irritation. "He'd better cool off by dinner time."

"Sure thing, Mizz Scarlett, he just jealous." Mammy huffed.

"Jealous? My Wade? What in heaven's name would he be jealous of?"

Mammy shook her head in disappointment. Her lamb had never been cut out for a deeper understanding of human nature and she understood children even less –her own included.

"You been sweeter on Mist' Beau than Mist' Wade." She gave Scarlett a pointed look but there was no actual understanding on her face, so Mammy clarified. "He's jealous of Mist' Beau gettin' yo' affections."

"Oh Mammy, how you do run on!" Scarlett rolled her eyes and started toward the house.

"If dat's whut you is thinkin'..." It was entirely unusual of Mammy to give up like this and her careless tone reminded her of Rhett of all people. Scarlett fired off a scowl in her direction but Mammy remained unaffected and returned to her previously abandoned duties.

Scarlett frowned. Was Wade jealous?

Wade and Beau seemed to get along much better soon after that and Scarlett figured Mammy had something to do with it. She was grateful for Mammy for stepping in, she had to admit, aside from punishing Wade, she was at a loss for what to do if Wade indeed was jealous as Mammy had suggested. Scarlett certainly didn't feel more affectionate towards Beau although she couldn't deny the fact she had a soft spot for the boy. Her own nature was so strong and powerful, Scarlett would be hard pressed to change her ways about anything she didn't see through. And seeing through was where Scarlett often failed. As much as Mammy loved her, she couldn't help the sadness she felt over how different Scarlett was from Ellen. But more than that, Scarlett was even less affectionate with her children than Gerald had been which was downright puzzling. So it came as no little surprise to Mammy when she witnessed something she never thought she would. It was the very first sign that Miss Scarlett was not only regaining her spirit for good but that she had finally learned some of life's lessons. Lessons that didn't necessarily include finances or having to fight for survival, but that her power over others could be used for something good, too.

It happened on another rainy day, when Scarlett was forced to stay inside, that Mammy caught her peacefully sitting by the window in the parlor once again. The house was rather quiet, the storm came out of nowhere and the change in the air pressure had most of them tired and dazed. Scarlett didn't look so fresh herself and she had a very pensive look on her face. Although she held Careen's latest letter in hand, it was obvious her thoughts were elsewhere. Wade looked positively hesitant in his approach but with newfound bravery he was like a tiny shadow passing through the room as he headed straight to his mother.

It wasn't until he was standing right by her side that Scarlett took note of him and she started a little in surprise.

"Don't you ever sneak up on me like that again, Wade Hampton." She scolded him but her tone was missing its usual harshness.

"I'm sorry, Mother." He lowered his head and silence settled, during which Wade remained motionless.

"Did you want something, Wade?" Scarlett questioned him, growing impatient, and he finally looked up.

"I won't ever leave you, Mother." Wade blurted out.

Scarlett, more confused than ever, raised an eyebrow in response. "Um… alright."

When Wade said nothing more, she turned back to Careen's letter, unmistakably done with the conversation. Disappointed and with his courage wasted, Wade slowly turned to leave. He was already halfway through the door when, thunderstruck, Scarlett's head shot up.

"Wade!" She called after him. "Come here." Wade did so, rather eagerly but not without some fear that he might be in for a scolding yet again. That was the last thing on her mind, however. Grabbing his chin gently, Scarlett rewarded her son with her rare and most coveted warm smile. "You're my steady little solider. " She then ruffled his hair a little and the boy's eyes lit up like a shining star.

Never before had Scarlett seen anyone look at her with as much admiration as Wade did in that moment. His eyes were shining and God Himself couldn't have received the worship his gaze gave Scarlett.

"Run along now." She told him in a firmer but calm tone. "I have Auntie's letter to read."

Mammy felt as much joy as Wade did as he rushed past her on his way out, the excitement in his steps nearly lifting him into the air. It was moments like these when Mammy was pleased to see a rare display of the inner beauty she knew Miss Scarlett to possess. If only it emerged more.

---

Ignoring Mammy's huffs and puffs, Scarlett continued with her daily routine and went out for a ride whenever she could. Now that she was feeling alive again and stronger by the day, Scarlett spent most of these occasions trying to prove to herself that she was unstoppable. Queen was always a partner and both animal and its rider were in their element when they felt unrestrained. Scarlett didn't know how and when it happened first, but she found herself jumping with her horse. Small obstacles first that were unavoidable in their path, followed by discarded tree trunks and the likes, just for the sheer enjoyment of it. She was more like her father than she ever realized.

It happened one cloudy afternoon when, realizing she had to hurry back or else she would be caught in the rain, Scarlett put the spurs to her horse and urged Queen forward with her crop. It also happened to be one of those afternoons when thoughts of Rhett simply wouldn't leave her and they preoccupied her to distraction. She missed him as much as she hated him for leaving her. Her mind was busy trying to think of some scheme to get him back but frustration always overtook her when she realized none of them would work for the sole reason of not knowing where he was. Frustrated she was once again this day, too, and decided to take the shortcut to get home in time. The first fence was easy to jump because it was low enough. The next one was broken so it proved to be no obstacle and she made a mental note to have it fixed as soon as possible. With great determination Scarlett, and Queen, continued forward, knowing precisely what was to come. The sight of the high fence her father loved conquering was tantalizing, urging her on to prove herself. Queen was now carrying her with her fastest speed and for a moment fear and doubt gripped at her soul, remembering the awful days when Pa and Bonnie died, both falling victims to their lack of good judgment. Gerald's was lost forever and Bonnie's hadn't even developed yet in her young age. But there was no backing down now, for she was way too close. Besides, she was stronger. Stronger than both of them, stronger than anyone else for that matter. She could do it. If she could do this, she cold do just about anything.

Queen jumped and Scarlett held on, only when they were off the ground and high in the air did she realize this was hard enough for a man, let alone for a woman with a side saddle. But the fleeting panic was gone in a second and while the landing was a bit hard, she miraculously remained in the saddle. Satisfaction filled her then, she had never once been tossed from a horse, and the triumph that this time wasn't any different either felt glorious. She did nothing to slow Queen and the furious pounding of the hooves announced her arrival. Scarlett felt ecstatic. She had done it.

There was none of the triumph and glory left a short while later when faced with Mammy's frightening fury that, at first, shocked her to the core. Scarlett had no idea how Mammy found out about what she had done for she certainly had not been outside or within eyesight, but she evidently was well aware. Scarlett was convinced someone had seen her and ratted her out but she never found out who it was. Scarlett tried denying her actions at first but it was no use. She hadn't received such a thorough and downright humiliating scolding since the age of ten. Her temper flared and she became defiant but there was something in Mammy's tired, aging eyes that got to her. It was real worry and disappointment, not just simple irritation with her thoughtlessness.

"Now, Mammy darling…." She tried then, feeling – and sounding -- utterly and truly sorry. She never expected it to work but it did.

Mammy sighed dramatically. "Least now Ah knows you's back ter feelin' well. But if you dare jumpin' dat fence again, Ah swear Miz Scarlett Ah'll spank you like Ah used ter when you was a chil'."

But Scarlett would jump again and that was one occasion when she wished she had listened to Mammy.

With each passing day, Scarlett grew restless. Her turn around was gradual, but everyone could observe, and observe they did with a unique mixture of worry and fascination, how Scarlett came to her own again. She had been known for her tenacity but having seen her so withdrawn and ghastly the last couple of weeks, some had given up on her. All those who didn't believe now learned their ultimate lesson, Scarlett arose from her ashes like some mythical creature and with that came new clarity in her mind, too.

Ironically it was Suellen who had the most painful lesson to learn. Now that Scarlett was out of her daze, both Mammy and Will were alert, and, both knowing Scarlett's nature, tried to protect the younger O'Hara girl. The sisters were never, not even for a moment, left alone, for while Scarlett appeared normal, it was a common opinion that Suellen had crossed the boundaries of propriety within sibling rivalry. Scarlett was known to be smart enough to make up her schemes to achieve her goals and both Mammy and Will were convinced she wouldn't let Suellen get away with her deed. They were right about that but, unfortunately for Suellen, there came a time when neither Mammy nor Will was around to protect her. And it was all due to her pregnancy.

It was rather late in the evening when Suellen descended the stairs to satisfy her nearly painful appetite. She hated being pregnant. Mammy was busy putting the children to bed and Will had actually dozed off in their bedroom from a very hard day's work. Only the servants were up and about and Suellen, unsuspecting, entered the empty kitchen with great determination. She poured herself milk and grabbed a few cookies, eyeing them with great delight.

"Great balls of fire, as if you weren't big enough already." Suellen, halfway into her first bite, yelped and jumped at the same time, dropping the cookie straight into her milk and nearly dropping the glass in the process, too. After recognizing the voice, she became hesitant. She was unable to decide whether to go with fear or anger, in the end she went with both, choosing anger to cloak her fear.

"Oh you're hateful, Scarlett," she sneered.

"Am I?"

Suellen hated this tone. She had always had great fights with her sister, but ever since she married Rhett Butler, she picked up on some of the man's mannerism and Suellen hated it with a passion -- as much as she hated him. In fact Rhett Butler always seemed to find great delight in his wife disarming her opponents with a sharp tongue, Suellen had once noted that sickeningly proud gleam in his eyes when they visited. That wasn't what necessarily bothered her though, it was the fact that she didn't have proper defenses. Scarlett could be humiliating in her jeer, downright cruel even, and it was only her temper that made her lose control and, occasionally, aided Suellen in a rare triumph. Not in moments like these, however. There was a calculating look on Scarlett's face and Suellen felt like a mouse cornered by a cat. Her sister couldn't have planned this, Suellen reasoned, but the longer she stared into her face, the more her suspicion arose that she might have been expecting her. Her trips down to the kitchen had become regular in the past couple of days after all.

"What are you doing here?" Suellen asked suspiciously.

"Waiting."

"For what?"

"An opportune moment."

"Oh?" Suellen's unease was now growing and not without a reason.

"To tell you a few things you should remember before you open your well-fed mouth again."

With a quick, graceful stroll Scarlett was standing face to face with Suellen and the latter visibly stiffened.

"Pa disowned you the day he died but I ignored it for two reasons; one was Mother's memory, the other was the fact you wanted to acquire money when we needed it badly. Still, your conduct with Pa was disgraceful, calculating and shameful, which I overlooked only… "

"How dare you cri-"

"…BECAUSE you were born of the same flesh and blood I came from. But if once, just one more time, you dare ill-speak about Pa and Tara again, I shall pay your husband for his past services, just enough so he can buy a modest little home, pack your bags and send you on your way. You won't have the luxury of servants, frocks of fine material, the convenience of a large home and even less time to pay a visit or two to Jonesboro. Maybe then you'll appreciate the security Tara has given to your undeserving and ever growing hide, but I swear to you, Suellen, there shall be no turning back, for Tara's door will be closed. Forever."

For a moment defiance reflected on Suellen's face, ready to pronounce she hated Tara with a passion and it would work no hardship on her, but for once realization quickly settled. Between the two prospects, living at Tara was still much better and while Will was hard working, if he had wanted to take Suellen away and support her on his own, she never would have married him. Never before had Suellen hated Scarlett more for being the first born than at this precise moment. How she wished that Ma or Pa were still around so she could go tell on Scarlett, even if she was Gerald's favorite, he never allowed his daughters to behave anything less than proper with each other.

Tears of frustration and despair welled in her eyes, and, very deep down, acknowledgment, too, that she had this coming. Although it was her intention to bring Scarlett back from her absent minded and long reverie, she had overstepped a line and this was more than she had bargained for.

"You wouldn't…"

"Oh, yes I would." Scarlett's stare was unforgiving and hard, but the most frightening was the truth in her eyes.

"I… I'm not hungry anymore." Suellen spoke, resigned, her breath shaky from trying to contain her crying. "I'm retiring for the night." She avoided her sister's gaze and stepped aside to leave.

"Have a good night, sister, and enjoy your comfortable bed... for as long as you get to sleep in it."

Suellen stopped for a second and let the words sink in before she took off, hurrying back up to her room as fast as she could given her condition. How heartbroken Mother would be now indeed, Scarlett thought, but both Ellen and Gerald were dead and gone, and living in the past did no good to any of them. She had carried the entire family's burden and had done things her parents would be so ashamed of, so what did this disloyal act to her own sister matter now, especially in light of Suellen's own feelings and conduct?

Learn Suellen did that night, because from that point on, she paid careful attention to what she was saying in Scarlett's presence. Rows and quarrels they still had, and would until the end of time, but the spoiled middle child of Ellen and Gerald O'Hara finally came to the realization that they were living different times. She learned that this was real life, the harsh reality, where her sister had hardened beyond comprehension and she couldn't just dismiss her as easily as she had in their childhood. Scarlett was the head of the O'Hara's, demanding respect and love for Tara as much as their father had, and there was no one to stop her. While it did provide financial security, Scarlett became just as powerful as their mother had been, maybe even more so, but through different means.

---

There was only one thing, or person rather, that occupied her thoughts the upcoming days: Rhett Butler. Scarlett had absolutely no idea what to do. She wanted him and needed him. It wasn't a life-or-death kind of need. Could she live without him? Yes. Did she want no? No. She had lived through years of pining for someone she couldn't have, she didn't feel the least bit inclined to go through it again. Therefore, she needed to do something. But that was the problem… she didn't know what that something was. Rhett wasn't Ashley. While she could scheme and cheat her way around to get closer to Ashley, Rhett could see through her like glass. He knew she loved him and he knew her… that was probably why he had decided to disappear.

Scarlett happened to be out on her usual ride one day when she felt absolutely and utterly gutted. It was always Rhett who could make her feel this way - so inadequate and so inferior. She couldn't outwit him and this was one time she badly needed to. Three months had passed since he declared he didn't give a damn anymore, two since she last saw him. She was none the wiser and she was out of ideas. For a while she berated herself for not having followed him to Charleston but Melanie's funeral, taking care of Beau and, simply, life had kept her in Atlanta. And Rhett had made his move before she could have. He had returned briefly and then was gone again, this time without any information as to where he was heading. He wasn't in Charleston, she knew that. He was probably off traveling somewhere, trying to find something with charm and grace… or whatever it was he had said.

Her restlessness was contagious and had Scarlett paid more attention to her horse than her own frustration, she would have noticed that Queen wasn't having a good day. Something ailed her and while Scarlett had been told about it briefly, it entirely escaped her attention later on. Given how low she had been feeling about her lack of success regarding Rhett, Scarlett decided to jump. It made her feel high and that was just what she needed. But that wasn't what her mare needed. Scarlett didn't know exactly how it happened but she knew for a fact that the horse didn't do it on purpose. She merely couldn't jump high enough, or properly, for Queen, having soared over the fence, stumbled as soon as she landed and she went down, taking her rider along.

Luckily Scarlett fell a distance from her horse so it didn't crush her, but the air was knocked out of her nevertheless when she hit the ground, and she could hardly breathe. She was frantic but her limbs moved and everything else moved and she didn't even stop to think of any of it. She rolled over as much as she could and with shaking hands and trembling fingers, struggled with the back of her dress. Air, she needed air and she needed it badly. She was feeling faint and dizzy, which wouldn't subdue because of her lack of oxygen flow. She realized she was alone and her survival instinct immediately kicked in. Her need to breathe was so strong, she practically ripped the back of dress open and began fumbling with her stays. The lace… she needed to unlace it. Had it not been such an urgent and serious matter, Scarlett may not have been able to do such a quick or adequate job. She didn't know how but she could at once feel the lace get caught in her fingers and she pulled and tugged furiously. And then suddenly there was air.

Scarlett rolled on her back and for a short while didn't do anything but breathe in and out, and she did it deeply. Queen's neigh nearby registered in her brain and she realized the horse was on her feet again, but not much else got through to her. She was still dizzy, the world was still spinning but at least she could breathe easier. She remained motionless, waiting for the nausea brought upon by the dizziness to go away, and she half expected darkness to take over. She didn't know how long it took. It may have been a minute or ten, may have even been an entire hour that she spent on the verge of a blackout but the world slowly stopped spinning. Scarlett didn't move, she simply wasn't able to. Her heart was beating fast and she could feel her limbs shake. But nothing hurt, not yet anyway. She slowly moved a finger, then an arm, and then her legs. Everything was fine except for the tension in her body and the stubborn trembling. She needed to get herself under control before she would attempt to get up. She couldn't do anything else, she had to wait -- and that triggered unexpected ideas.

It was peaceful to lie there, albeit she felt foolish. Mammy had been right. Panic flooded her mind for a second, the last thing she needed was Mammy to see her but since nobody came to her aid, she realized nobody saw her. Oh how disappointed Mammy would be now. And what would Rhett say? That she deserved it for being so stubborn and unthinking, especially in light of having lost a father and a child to a jumping accident? Both would have the right to say such things, she knew. Her musing drifted to Rhett again and a strange thought snuck into her mind. She had spent so much time trying to figure what Rhett would say or do or think, all of which she had always been unsuccessful with. She never once could figure his mind, she couldn't even see the obvious that had been right in front of her face. And that was when it struck her. Everything seemed so different in retrospect, now that she knew he had loved her all along, some of his actions, that confused her then, made more sense now. Whether it was blind faith or determination, she didn't know, but Scarlett realized Rhett wasn't doing anything different now either. She still failed to see logic in his actions but once again Scarlett wasn't analytical but practical. What was practical about keeping a wife and pretenses for someone who regarded any of it as so little? And if he were to find something beautiful and worthy in life, if he didn't care any more, if he were to catch up on what he had blatantly ignored and disrespected in his entire life, how was he supposed to do that with ties binding him to a wife miles away? Fact was, three months had passed and Rhett may have kept his word and disappeared but had not filed for divorce. So, for the first time ever, albeit unbeknownst even to her, Scarlett figured out Rhett Butler sooner than he figured himself.

With newfound vigor from this latest revelation, Scarlett finally moved. She slowly sat up and then got to her feet, relieved that most of the shaking stopped. Queen looked unhurt and undisturbed as Scarlett approached her. Her own dress and stays were ruined, she was dirty and a hand running through her locks confirmed that her hair was in disarray. She was scruffy and disheveled, they couldn't see her like this. She smoothed her hair as best as possible without a mirror, proceeded to dust off her riding skirt and fixed her stays as much as she could. It was the back of her dress that gave her trouble, it was torn down till her middle back and glaringly obvious. Then an idea hit her. Scarlett pulled the net and the pins out of her hair and let it down. It descended down her back and beautifully covered the gap in the garment. This would do, at least until she could sneak up into her room and change.

Without the slightest fear, Scarlett mounted her horse again and with a keen eye towards the house, returned to the stables. In the past two months she had hit the bottom and acquainted herself with the lowest depths of emotional despair before regaining her strength and rising once more. And now she had more than her spirit back; she had a plan and a new motivation.

She knew Rhett was going to return, just as he always did, he, for whatever reason, needed his time. So, albeit being idle had never been her forte, she would wait- simple as that. Or was it?

**To Be Continued**…

**A/N**: I promise I'm not going to make _you_ wait long.


	4. Rhett Butler's Spirit

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Gone With The Wind and its characters belong to their respective owners. I make no money out of this, I'm just having fun.**

**A/N**: Once again, thank you for the encouragement and feedback! I consider this the last chapter of the set up, real fun shall commence after this. Hope you'll enjoy! :) And forgive me if I overlooked typos or any errors.

---

For a man who didn't have the slightest care left for the woman he had once loved, Rhett Butler had an overwhelming amount of thoughts to sort through in the span of roughly year. He hadn't lied, he, frankly, didn't give a damn anymore. He had been burnt out, empty and resigned. He found it very true that love sometimes bordered on hate. They were so similar in their intensity and both were painful. It had hurt because he loved her. He had fought the feeling at first but despite her ridiculous and stubborn infatuation with the foolish Ashley Wilkes, he loved her. If he wanted to be honest with himself, he both hated and loved her for the very same reason. And then Bonnie died. Never before had Rhett Butler felt such pain, such misery. He had been on the verge of losing his mind and he still missed his little girl terribly. She returned in his dreams and was as adorable as she had always been, but oh the guilt those dreams brought. The longing, the grief, the regret all came back to his conscience and Scarlett's accusing words followed closely. He had killed Bonnie. How he wanted to hurt Scarlett then, never before had he needed more self restraint than in those days. He hated her hypocritical accusations about a child she never even wanted, he hated her for the truth in her words… and he hated her for he had known even that wouldn't break her. She would survive, she would get through it and she would put up with it so much easier than he did. It was a frightening time. He wanted to see her hurt, wanted to see her suffer, but underneath it all he simply wanted to see her share an emotion with him finally, even if it was grief for their little girl. What followed was very long numbness. It really was unfortunate for Scarlett to realize her love for him then, for he had had nothing left to give and that included any sort of inclination to even try.

It was clear to him, aside from feeling so utterly tired and burnt out from his countless attempts to get her to love him, that it was over. He needed to get away for good or she would destroy him completely. The most shocking moment had come when, upon looking at her, he couldn't feel anything. Not love, hate, pity, fondness, not even sympathy. Nothing. He didn't care what she would do, where she would go. If anything, the sight and thought of Scarlett was nothing but a reminder of everything that had gone wrong. He refused to believe that was all there was to life. He had decided to leave then and try to find something that would restore his faith that life held more than that. That he felt nothing for Scarlett made it easy to leave. He had known he wouldn't miss her, wouldn't miss their ugly house and wouldn't miss Atlanta either. He wouldn't miss anything, except for Bonnie. That thought had been his driving force and, feeling stricken but quite free, he returned to Charleston. He had felt hopeful at first. His mother and sister were welcoming which, admittedly, meant more to him than he would have thought. But then the days passed and turned into weeks and his hope gradually waned. As those days turned into weeks, Rhett Butler had another painful realization. It was more than Scarlett, or Atlanta for that matter, which meant nothing to him anymore. Nothing and nobody stirred the slightest appreciation in his heart or mind. He became restless and dissatisfied with life itself.

There were two reasons why, he had told himself initially, didn't seek a divorce immediately. First of all was that Scarlett had been, after all, the mother of his child. His fortune was big enough, he could allow to continue providing for her. Second, and that was the most significant reason, was his mother. Rhett had spent the better part of his life to spite his father. Although it was partially out of necessity to survive on his own, as soon as it became apparent he could more than stand on his own, many of his conduct was born for the sole reason of annoying his hateful father. Had this all happened when he was still alive, Rhett would have gone through with a divorce already. But he was dead and all there was left was his mother, sister and brother. The latter he didn't care much about but the first two, especially his mother, were the only two people left in the world he still felt something for. He realized her mother had spent most of her life as a good wife. Sure he had been angry to see how conventions forced her into a miserable life with her husband, if hard pressed, he would maybe admit it was partially why he always urged Scarlett to be different. Despite all that, his mother stood by him all along, even if it meant having to resolve to secret meetings and lies, and she was just as sad to lose her granddaughter as he was. Bonnie had been the most beautiful thing Rhett had ever given her, the irony in her tragic demise was rather heartbreaking. So no, Rhett knew he couldn't go through with a divorce and disgrace his family any more. He didn't regret anything he had ever said or done, but if he could help it, he wouldn't hurt his mother now that his father wasn't around to ruin the comfortable life Rhett had been trying to provide for her. So he stayed married.

That in itself brought more complications that would later contribute to Rhett's final conclusions. All the conventions, traditions and expectations of his status now held the peace Rhett had been longing for, the very things he had always made fun of. Or so he had thought. He did his best to see something that was worth seeing… but it wasn't working out. A month quickly passed and Rhett found nothing that really held his interest. He had a wife in Atlanta whom he did not love anymore. No woman he looked at held any allure for him, except possibly to spend a night with, but that was precisely what he had been trying to avoid. So even if he were, by some miracle, a bachelor again, why bother with a marriage once more where feelings weren't mutual. Caring for anyone, especially deeply, was something Rhett Butler did not feel capable of anymore. Charleston people still looked at him suspiciously but Bonnie had considerably helped his reputation. Now that she was dead, all those who had begun seeing him in another light felt sorry and sympathy for him. It was still too soon, he kept telling himself as the reason for his disinterest. He had been famous for his patience and self-control, maybe he wasn't at the top of his game these days, he reasoned with himself. But no matter how he looked, and how he tried, Charleston was nothing but a reminder of his own shortcomings, too, the epitome of discarded values that failed to meet his expectations even now.

So, after having spent only a month at home, Rhett decided to travel, that was what he needed. He felt confined in Charleston. It was where he had thought he belonged, but he couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, for the last time ever, he needed to travel and see if there was something more for him out there. When later he would think back to this time, Rhett would only shake his head about his own predicament. The war should have taught him. He had gone to do the honorable thing and be what he refused to be when he enlisted. And what did it bring him? Nothing, except for a few difficult moments.

For travels he needed to make some last minute arrangements and for that it was simply impossible not to return to Atlanta. Rhett felt his conscience move a little when he thought of Melanie and a part of him regretted not attending her funeral. But it was quickly dismissed, he had always dealt with his grief and respect for people his own way, the only person, and the very person who would have needed to and would have indeed understood, was Melanie. He expected Scarlett to try to get him to stay and wasn't surprised to find out she was preparing to leave for Tara. He had to admit, she looked miserable. So grief had indeed got to her. Maybe. Her eyes were missing their usual spark and she looked tired, it was all the more evident when he cruelly shut down all of her attempts to talk to him and she, rather uncharacteristically, gave up. She wasn't at her best, he could tell, and it only reminded him of his own words. Anything that was broken held no allure to him. It was rather hypocritical, he knew, for there was a time he would have loved to see her broken... to see that she was just as human. But if there was any feeling she still stirred deep within him, then it was resentment. He couldn't bear the sight of her so he had opted to spend that one night at Belle's. She was the only person in Atlanta whom he still found worthy of his attention, which was rather amusing given her social status. It was on that night that the first sign, a sign he had ignored then, surfaced, that he just couldn't shake. He longed to feel something that wasn't bitterness, hate or resentment. Belle helped him with that, even if it was merely physical. He ignored, or maybe hadn't even realized yet, the fact that the mere sight of Scarlett stirred a longing. It wasn't for her, not then, but it was longing nevertheless. So off to Belle he went and took care of it.

He told himself at first that it was just the finances that compelled him to be informed about his wife. Of course it was logical to want to know how much she spent and what she spent on, but nothing warranted being informed about her whereabouts or her dealings either. Scarlett couldn't get his money until he allowed it, but since he was traveling, and spent quite some time in Europe for a few months, he had notified his lawyer of a monthly limit that he consented for his wife to use to her liking. It wasn't small purchases he wanted to know about but as time went on, and as he spent a month or two our of touch, his lawyer deemed it important to give him a thorough report about what he had missed. The man was just as much of a shady person as he had been and was loyal to Rhett. Of course he was, he paid him well. He never could cheat him or steal money from him, Rhett was too smart for that. But he didn't even need to, Rhett generously paid him for his services. For that reason, Rhett began receiving reports about Scarlett. He knew she had spent two months at Tara before she returned to Atlanta. He knew what it meant; Scarlett was as good as ever. Of course Belle had written to him, too, and notified him about their most interesting encounter.

The months spent with traveling gave Rhett lots of opportunities to think and his initial quest was soon forgotten, for Scarlett crept into his mind and refused to leave. It was as gradual as the return of his strength was. The more the numbness and grief wore off, the more life and his passion returned. It greatly annoyed him at first, he had been entirely convinced that he was over her and that there was nothing that could make him return. So, with newfound vigor, he tried focusing on wooing ladies, whether in the United States or in Europe. But they were just as uninteresting as they had always been and while his physical needs were satisfied, he felt just as bored, to the point that after a while not even their charming graces were alluring enough. Rhett Butler had changed, yet remained the same. Conventions and propriety still were too restricting for him, yet he wanted more than fun, reckless times.

After nine months of travel, Rhett returned to Charleston. His mother was happy to see her son return but there was a knowing gleam in her eyes. By that point, Rhett was fighting a battle with himself. He would be a fool to deny he was angry with Scarlett but, at the same time, he couldn't get her out of his mind either. So he began weighing his options and, most of all, he spent countless hours analyzing the past twelve years. He kept reminding himself of all the reasons why he left.

Aside from the emptiness and numbness brought upon by his grief for Bonnie that had proved no point in staying, there was an unconscious need for him to get away from her. He had come close to losing control. She got to him, she was destroying him slowly and she didn't even know, and his reaction to that was to hurt her back. And he had, both with his words and his actions. Despite his carefully crafted façade, she could get to him like nobody else. That resulted in a miscarriage and the death of their child. How could one overcome that? It wasn't until Rhett began actually dealing with his grief, and emerged from his shell, that he realized how many women were faced with such loss. Not only had many sons died in the war, but childbirth in itself was as miraculous as it could be tragic. None of that eased his grief about his own loss but it did, in a strange way, remind him how weak he was acting. But aside from that, the memory of his last night with Scarlett still vividly lived in his memory. She had never found much joy in intimacy but she at least endured it. He liked to think he could introduce her to some pleasurable aspects of it that neither Charles nor Frank could, but fact remained fact… he came closer than anybody else to make her despise anything physical. She loved it, he could tell, for she surrendered and it was more than just submitting to his mad needs, but had he taken it a little further, it would have ended differently. Not that it ended happily but for the first time, while it lasted, she was completely his. The regretful thought that he shouldn't have left the morning after was clear now. He had hurt her pride and instead of letting her rebuild her walls, he should have taken advantage of that rare opening.

Of course another reason why he had decided to leave her for good was cowardice. That was what it was, there was no better word for it. Just like any other times when he felt exposed to her, Rhett left town until he could regain his resolve. Each time his feelings had been revealed, he left. Luckily for him she was so consumed by her obsessive chase after Ashley Wilkes that she hardly took notice. And Rhett did make sure that he made her forget about any revelation – at least until she was ready. The last time hadn't been any different either except for the fact that Scarlett now had her attention focused on him. Damn Melanie Wilkes. He knew she had had nothing but good intentions but she very effectively exposed him on her deathbed, and she did it at a moment when Scarlett was truly receptive. So she loved him now. He understood and believed her but he hadn't been wiling to continue. And when he began realizing he missed and craved her just as much as before, he still wasn't ready. Going back to her would mean Scarlett would gain the upper hand, and one thing Rhett was sure of, especially after the past decade, that he would never let Scarlett have the upper hand. It was a constant power struggle with her that no other man experienced, for the very obvious reason that they all had simple, obeying and conventional wives. As much as Rhett liked Belle, even she submitted to his dominance like every woman would. But not Scarlett. That frustrated him to no end and made him feel like a failure. While a part of him loved and admired her for it, it made it terribly difficult to love her. Not necessarily because his own enjoyment or male pride were ruined, but because Scarlett was sometimes too single minded and too foolish. Rhett knew perfectly what was wrong with her but he, at the time, had failed to see how his own actions contributed to that. In his quest to give her the freedom he knew her spirit and exceptional mind deserved, he enabled and encouraged all those qualities that pushed her out of control. She was very much a woman of her own but with the flaws in her character, that wasn't always a good thing. Rhett had learned his lesson and saw the errors in his own conduct. He badly wanted to one up Ashley Wilkes. Ashley couldn't give her what she wanted, so Rhett had set out to give her everything.

In retrospect he saw his own shortcomings much clearer and it was an uncharacteristically humbling moment when he realized he was blaming her for them too, somewhat unjustly. Scarlett never lied to him about her affections for Ashley. Aside from her false little act in jail, she didn't want to marry him in the first place – not for love anyway. He practically pressured her into the marriage. He should have waited, but even after everything he couldn't see that being a solution. Instead he had gambled and… lost. Or well, was currently losing, that was clear. He was too impatient, and while marrying her provided a short-lived bliss, he only had himself to blame. He couldn't claim her heart and soul, so he claimed her body. It was an unhealthy obsession but his maddening need to have her was overwhelming. In the past twelve years he spent significant time trying to escape her. When he couldn't, he tried to win her over. When that failed, too, he tried hurting her. During the lonely years of his marriage, he often wondered why he hadn't simply tried taking her like some lowlife rascal and be done with it instead of trying to win her over. It might have satisfied his curiosity and need, and he would have gotten over her without having to marry her. But it was no use, he always concluded, because he wanted more.

He had blamed her for throwing happiness away with both hands, and what was he doing now? She finally loved him and that was what he wanted all along. But would they be happy? Was there any chance left for them? Well, Rhett Butler was selfish. There was a cruel satisfaction in the fact that it was him that Scarlett finally wanted and couldn't have. But unlike the honorable Ashley Wilkes, he saw what she could offer if she really wanted to. Ironically, just like Ashley Wilkes, he was now fighting to resist, too. He also knew this was the chance he had always craved, he had spent his prime on trying to conquer Scarlett O'Hara. Waste always made him angry and not enjoying the triumph of a decade long effort was nothing but waste. Of course the fact that Scarlett was as strong as ever was as much of an allure as a reason to detest her. He knew she was back in Atlanta, that could only mean his dear wife was ready to face the crowd – and him, once more. But he was far from being stupid enough to think that returning would mean a happily ever after, nor did he think Scarlett would just simply surrender. She might try, he figured her devotion was the one thing that could make her do it, but it wasn't in her nature and it was why he loved her and why he hated her. He was doomed, he knew it. He had two choices left; either returning to her and putting things in the right perspective for both of them, or stay away from her forever and live the rest of his life in conventions against which he fought all his life. Could he live without her? Oh yes. Did he want to? That was his dilemma.

Scarlett didn't understand subtle and all he ever did was confuse her. In his efforts to keep his own feelings hidden as a protection, he puzzled her and never gave her a chance to realize her deeper feelings. Did he have his reasons? Yes. But it was cowardice, nothing else. There were men who never cared for their wives. They simply loved the joys of marital bed, the children they gave and having the life society set as most important. Some were fortunate enough to find a deeper connection and live a rather dull but happy life. Well Rhett Butler was in the middle and so was Scarlett O'Hara. It was either them for each other or no one else, because Rhett was convinced, both out of conceit and experience, that there was no man in the South who could do her justice.

Oddly it was Rhett's mother who gave her son the final push he needed to make up his mind.

"You look better, dear." She told him one early morning in June as they settled outside in the fresh air.

"What shocking things you say, Mother. Have I ever looked anything less than my best? Well, if that is the case indeed, then it's all thanks to you, Mother darling. Your gracious presence is like water to a plant." He grinned.

"Oh." She dismissed him with a flick of her hand and a short but hearty laugh. She was used to her son's off handed humor and was glad to see him joking again, for it meant he was indeed feeling better. It had been heartbreaking to see him dwell in his incredible sorrow. But she understood, Bonnie's death was devastating.

"When are you leaving, my darling?" She knew it was inevitable. It was just a matter of time and maybe it was for the best.

"Leaving?" Rhett asked, confused, while lighting a cigar.

"To Atlanta."

He stopped for a beat before he spoke. "I haven't been planning a trip back."

Mrs. Butler merely nodded in acknowledgment before the furious pounding of hooves startled the early morning peace. It was a young man, about 16, on a tall, black horse, rushing past them with all the confidence and youth boys his age possess.

"I can see you there now, as clearly as yesterday," she spoke again and Rhett raised an eyebrow in question. "On the horse. What was it you named her? Spirit?"

"Ah," Rhett caught on and confirmed it with a nod. He had just turned 15 and was exceptionally restless. His father had many horses, the finest breed, intending them to be used for his son to live up to the family's reputation. That was one thing Rhett excelled at, he was an exceptional rider. A family friend had a couple of new horses but there was one he didn't need. It was a wild horse and unnamed as of yet, and the man persuaded Rhett's father to purchase it, who had been reluctant at first before giving in. Rhett developed vast interest in the horse. The elder Mr. Butler had never been a patient man and saw no use in spending lots of money and time on a horse that continued to be difficult. Rhett had set his mind to tame it, though, in hopes of keeping it as a reward. His father wasn't too keen on the idea, he much preferred his son to practice on the perfectly obedient ones and advance his skills further. Clearly not believing Rhett was capable of it, he had made the off handed promise.

"Oh I was beside myself with fear each time you went near that horse," his mother continued. "Your father had stables full of perfect stallions but you had your mind set and if you have your mind set, it's your way or no way. Your father kept saying you couldn't do it, everyone said you were too stubborn for your own good."

The memories did indeed flood his mind upon his mother's reminiscing. Young Rhett had been restless in his attempts to gain the horse's trust. At only fifteen he hardly had any fear and he was determined in his mission.

"I believe you were even tossed once or twice but you were always a strong boy. I wish I had more faith in your abilities, son, but my worry as a mother was too strong for me to consider anything else. I worried, wished you would give up before you get hurt. But you succeeded."

"It took me long enough." Rhett smiled, that glorious day had been one of his favorite, and only good memories of his childhood.

"And everyone was full of envy when you went parading around, riding your newly tamed horse that wouldn't even let anybody else near."

Of course the rest of the story wasn't so happy because his father subsequently sold the horse anyway. It was an utterly bitter day when Rhett found out the animal had been shot by the new owner for trumping a slave and he blamed his father. He knew why his mother brought this up, however. The comparison wasn't lost on him at all.

"I was proud. My son's never been a quitter."

"Am I right in my assumption that there was a specific reason for your bringing this up? Aside from that boy riding along, of course."

His mother smiled knowingly. "You were always too smart."

He grinned but it lasted only briefly. "I didn't think you particularly liked her."

"The horse?"

"Scarlett."

There was a long pause before she spoke again. "Well… I don't dislike her."

"You don't?" He frowned, genuinely surprised.

"She's Ellen Robillard's daughter after all, and she gave you Bonnie, didn't she? Besides," she sighed, "hating her would be like hating my son. She shares a lot of your qualities, I'm sure you are aware. And she has no mother left to guide her and-"

"I always thought you wished I'd quit my philandering ways and settle with a nice, respectable but boring county belle. Scarlett has long shaken that reputation." Which, he had to admit, was partially his doing.

Although Rhett never meant to accuse his mother, neither could ignore the implication of his words. Rhett never once blamed his mother for any of his father's doings but the truth was glaringly obvious; he had gone out of his way to associate with women who held entirely different values than his mother. And if there was any similarity, like in Scarlett, Rhett made sure it changed. If he came across hurtful to his mother now, she didn't show.

"I did, yes, a long time ago. There are many things I wish you would have done differently but I've had enough time to accept that you've never been an ordinary boy. It's only fitting that you wouldn't marry an ordinary girl. As for her reputation… you've gone out of your way to destroy yours, why should hers matter to me now? She's not a girl anymore but still very much a young woman, Rhett. She carried a load, alone, that's hard enough to break the strongest of men, too. She may be what she is but one thing I'm sure of. Her love and dedication is what I, as a mother, would want of a woman to feel for my son. "

That was where his mother was missing the point but Rhett didn't care to sugarcoat the hard facts anymore. "Wasn't it obvious she didn't care for me?"

"It was just a time of grief, son. She's lost a daughter, too."

She misunderstood him but Rhett didn't feel like correcting her. His mother couldn't know that the marriage itself had been based on an agreement and not emotions, thus she based her opinion on the brief times she had met Scarlett. Times when there was perfect pretense and then times of tragic grief. Rhett remained silent, in a contemplative state.

There was one thing, however, that his mother saw perfectly and that was what ultimately mattered. Rhett still cared. "There's not much left for me in this life anymore and I've had some time to think since your father died. He had a strong personality and a significant influence but no duty as a wife could ever keep me from loving you. I want you to be happy, Rhett, and if I'm right in my suspicion that it's my feelings you don't want to hurt with a divorce, then I'll give you my consent. God forgive me for my unconventional thinking, for my love for you darling is stronger than my love for conventions. But for you divorce would mean nothing more than a written certificate of what you have been doing on your own accord the past year anyway. You have been away from her. Did it make you happy?"

His mother was making perfect sense and it angered Rhett. He had to admit she caught him off guard, for he had been convinced she was an advocate for continuing his marriage out of duty and out of fear of the disgrace of a divorce. But that wasn't the case. Why did she see so clearly now when she spent years suffering next to a man that treated her awful, letting society dictate her life?

"No, I suppose it didn't." He said in a voice that conveyed both bitterness and anger, and resisting lashing out at her.

"Rhett. I'd be entirely content if you stayed permanently, a part of me, selfishly, wants you to stay because life has kept you from me for so long. But I was fortunate enough to have both my sons survive the war. I'm a woman and once married, have never been in the position to choose. You do have a choice. If my opinion holds any weight with you, then please, don't let resentment and bitterness or even stubbornness get in your way. That was what kept your father restricted all his life."

Rhett turned a fiery look to his mother at that but she refused to meet his gaze. She had just compared him to his father and if there was something Rhett hated the most in the whole world than it was any similarities with the man he felt nothing but contempt for. He also had done his best to act nothing like him all his life.

"Unlike you, he never fought for anything he felt was lost, it was very little he considered worthy. He was narrow minded and remained loyal to the dead Cause 'til the very end out of pride and fear and because he refused to see there was more out there. If you still care, and every maternal instinct in my body says you do, don't follow in our path. Don't resign to something out of convictions. I've never known you to do so."

"Well, life has taught me that I can't always get what I want, Mother, and that some causes are too lost, even for me."

"And is this one of them?"

That, surprisingly, was something Rhett couldn't answer with certainty. Scarlett had told him that she loved him and that had been his ultimate goal. So why were they apart now? His grief had certainly numbed him and there hadn't been the slightest flicker of care left in his heart when he left her. But grief shifted and changed, the numbness wore off and he was left with the nagging truth. There wasn't a day going by without thinking of her, sometimes in anger, sometimes in longing. The more he tried to escape her, the more obvious it became that he couldn't. He had decided the moment he first set eyes on her that she was the one woman for him and theirs was an affair that he would carry with him until the rest of his life. So maybe his mother had a point. Why give up now? He had never been a quitter. While there were many logical reasons why his courtship with Scarlett brought nothing but misery and that it wasn't worth it, the undeniable fact was that nothing and no one could interest and stir him as deeply as his wife. Experience and the years had taught him hard lessons, but deep in his core Rhett Butler couldn't change. He was just as bored and dissatisfied with life as he had always been without his essential stimuli. Dying as a resigned, bitter old man, with the feeling that there was one last chance he missed out on, did not seem like an appealing future aspect at all.

It was a week later that Rhett finally left and headed back to Atlanta. His mind was buzzing, somewhat conflicted, but the closer he got, the more determined he grew. He had fought for her alright, but it was his own heart and fear that he had always gone into battle with. It was only when he had entered a nagging state of despair that he stepped up and all he did was more damage. In fear of losing any chance of winning her over, Rhett never did what he should have. It wasn't spoiling Scarlett needed but lessons to learn and reasons to see. All his attempts to hide from her yet control her added fuel to the fire she felt against restrictions, and thus, in reality, all he did was lift any kind of barrier around her. There was nothing she couldn't get, and there was nothing she couldn't do. Of course he had had his conditions and forbade her spending anything on Ashley, but it wasn't until Bonnie was born that Rhett had realized how truly out of control Scarlett grew. Reckless was more like it. He had put her in a cage, a quite large one, and before he knew, she escaped and had him trapped. Well, that had to be over. That she loved him, and that he was sure of, made things easier. There was a mixture of hurt, disappointment but also flicker of love and anticipation in his heart and sorting through all the conflicting emotions would take time. But they needed to work on that together and Rhett intended Scarlett to be on the same page as he was. Aside from Mammy, there was nobody who could have kept Scarlett at bay. That she lost her parents and went through wartime and famine all alone brought out qualities in her that otherwise would have probably remained dormant – unless she married the right person. It was clear to him now that Scarlett didn't know anything else and he had expected things from her she simply didn't know how to do and give. Her luxurious, comfortable life had been snatched from her one day to another and like a furious child she worked her way back to it, no matter what it took. But the journey had been long and difficult, and as much as he admired that unbreakable spirit, she evidently didn't know how to stop. Well Rhett Butler would finally step up and teach Mrs. Butler all the lessons she needed to learn. No, he wouldn't want her to turn into a boring, ever obeying wife, but Scarlett had long crossed the line of being an excitingly vivacious, witty woman. She was downright unhealthy and cruel to people and giving happiness a go, for both of their sakes, he needed to bring her back to humanity. Scarlett had a loathing for restrictions, but restricting her was what he intended to do first. As selfish as Rhett was, he knew this was something he needed to do for _her_ before they could work on their relationship. He needed to strip her of her defenses to really get through to her, otherwise he saw no hope.

So when, on a late June afternoon, Rhett stepped into the house that was supposed to be his home, there wasn't the slightest bit of a surprise to find his wife standing on the top landing, glaring down at him like a queen, with an interesting mixture of surprise and satisfaction on her features. And that was what he had expected. Tara did her good and she looked as beautiful as ever.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Butler." He greeted her simply while he took his hat off, as if he had been away no more than a day.

**To Be Continued…**


	5. A New Chapter

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Gone With The Wind and its characters belong to their respective owners. I make no money out of this, I'm just having fun.**

**A/N**: Thank you very much for the insightful reviews! I'd just like to say that I'm thrilled to see that my story continues to trigger opinion and thoughts from all of you. To address a point that came up in a review that I couldn't answer personally because it was anonymous, (thank you for the lengthy analysis by the way!), I never thought of Rhett as a victim, I personally believe both Scarlett and Rhett had it all coming. They were equally responsible for some of the things that happened to them. But they are complex and most of all flawed characters, and that what makes them great, even if they aren't necessarily always right in their own assessments.

**---**

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Butler." He greeted her simply and took his hat off, as if he had been away no more than a day.

"Rhett." Her lips turned upwards finally but it didn't blossom into a full smile. Doubt and uncertainty was easy to read on her expression, the last couple of months had been hard on Scarlett. Her determination and stubbornness were great aids in the waiting game but after a while doubt had crept into her heart. As the weeks turned into months, never one to be good at waiting, Scarlett began wondering if maybe she was wasting her time and should be doing more to bring him back. Well, the instant she set eyes on him moments ago her heart began fluttering and she felt triumphant, but as she had never been able to truly and fully comprehend the way his mind worked, panic immediately followed. What if he was back only for pretense, just for a day or two like the last time? But she had let nothing on, or so she thought. Her back was straight and her chin high, looking as majestic as before even in the mourning wear he always so despised.

"Good afternoon. You're back," she said and descended the stairs slowly -- the very stairs where she had nearly met her demise a year ago.

"I am," he answered curtly before his eyes took in her appearance. "You're leaving." He didn't wait for an answer, instead headed straight to the parlor, knowing, and hearing, that she followed.

"I was, am," she corrected herself, intent on coming across composed. Her heart was beating fast, pounding in her chest even, in reality she wanted nothing more than to run to his arms, cling to him and never let him go. But he would shake her off, his eyes told her so much. "I'm taking Wade and Ella to Beau's birthday gathering."

His eyebrows went up in surprise at that before he turned to pour himself a drink.

"So your children are received? I'm glad, for their sake."

"Of course they are." She answered, as if it was most natural. "Besides, I'm the host." He laughed then and she shifted uncomfortably. He really could have chosen a better time to return, she thought.

"Why, Aunt Pitty couldn't organize a party like that if she lived a hundred years and India had to leave town to visit with Honey in an urgent matter." Scarlett felt compelled to explain why, she of all people, would be the host of a party in Ashley Wilkes' house. "It's for Beau," she added with a mixture of anger and despair.

"Well then, have a great time, my dear." He was unfazed, but his laugh continued ringing in her ear. She doubted he believed her, his jeer had been enough hint. So was he back to torture her?

But Scarlett had not much time left to think about that for Wade and Ella, all dressed for the party, raced down the stairs, unaware that their mother could hear them. Evidently they thought she was still in her room so they came to a sudden, frightened halt as soon as they caught sight of her with that disapproving scowl on her face. That was all forgotten for the time being, however, as soon as they noticed Rhett and with uncontrolled enthusiasm that was so characteristic of love deprived children, greeted their stepfather with great excitement. There was no sight of resentment or any kind of mockery and jeer when Rhett returned their hugs. They weren't his but they were certainly the most innocent and undeserving of hard feelings in the entire Butler household.

"Do stop your fussing, both of you." Scarlett spoke. "Go and get ready, we are leaving shortly."

"Mother? May I take my new Yo-Yo along? I'd like to show it to Beau."

"Always that senseless thing. Alright, but do go and fetch it quick or I'll leave you home." With that Wade darted off, happy that his plea found open ears. Rhett was somewhat surprised, not only was he surprised to see Wade actually daring to ask anything of his mother but that his wish had been granted. He really couldn't see much change in Scarlett's demeanor, she looked just as stern around the children and the fear in their eyes was, as always, present, but the forwardness with which Wade pleaded his case was different. So was Scarlett by granting his wish.

"I want to speak to you when you're back," Rhett told her before taking a long sip of his drink. Ella, as always, hardly paid attention to them but Scarlett, knowing how peculiar Rhett had always been about keeping any argument from the children, ushered her outside to the hall to wait there.

"Why wait?" Her stomach was in a knot, by the way he addressed her, she had a nagging suspicion it was a divorce he wanted to talk about. Well, Scarlett O'Hara was ready to fight, she hadn't spent nearly a year waiting for him only to get a divorce.

"It's not a matter that can be settled in five minutes and you have a party to attend."

"I won't go." Scarlett made up her mind. "I'll send the children over with Prissy instead so we can-."

His eyes darkened and he looked stern now. "Those two children are more excited than I have seen them in recent years. You will keep your promise and take them to the party personally." What followed was all too familiar mockery that he so excelled at. "Besides, my dear, you're the host and I've never known you to miss out on a chance to shine. Go and bathe in your glory."

His words hurt more than ever which, she realized, had to do everything with her feelings for him. For a moment there was a pang of regret that she had revealed that she loved him, evidently it meant nothing to him apart from a weapon to use against her. But, she concluded, he had loved her once too, and she had desperately hoped in the past months that it would bring him back.

Unfortunately for her, it was an uncharacteristically rare moment of honor, for Scarlett couldn't possibly abandon Beau on a day like this. Although the boy had moved back home permanently as soon as Ashley did well enough to be able to pay someone to run the mill, something he could thank Scarlett if he knew about her involvement, but she had still been a regular presence in Beau's life. Ironically that was what eased Atlanta's demeanor about her a little, because she evidently proved that she intended to, and did beloved Melanie Wilkes' only son justice. One conclusion led to another, and soon the consensus was that Scarlett, at least, instilled decorum in the children. With so much Yankee youngsters around that the Old Guard heartily disapproved of, Wade and Ella were well behaved children in public and never once did they scandalize anyone. That was even something the most reluctant ones admitted. As for the families from the North, Scarlett was just as fascinating and curious to them as her children. Nobody thought of Scarlett as a particularly warm mother, but while Rhett's spoiling of Bonnie had been endearing at first, the accident it led to subsequently shed a different light on his actions altogether. And with so much time on their hands, the women of Atlanta liked to gossip and share these conclusions with each other.

"I just hope I'll find you home," replied Scarlett sharply. This re-union wasn't going the way she had hoped it would. She loved him and had intended to get him back, but his hurtful words provoked her temper and there was a dire need within her to fight back. She regretted the words the moment they left her lips, but Rhett looked unfazed, although clearly understood her reference to his spending time at Belle's.

"You will," came his simple answer but he didn't even grace her with a look.

Scarlett sensed this wasn't a time for argument and she fought a tough battle within herself. Not only did she know she had to go but Rhett practically ordered her to, yet her impatience and almost physical need to find out what it was he wanted to talk about was just as strong. She hated the feeling that she needed to walk on eggshells when she had always been the one to pound her way through.

Rhett looked preoccupied with his drink and Scarlett could hear Wade storming down the stairs once more, his arrival reminding her it was time to leave. Deeming it smarter to depart without any further remark or provocation, Scarlett turned on her heels to leave.

"Tell Prissy to get me something to eat on your way out, will you?" He addressed her nonchalantly and she stopped for a second, thoroughly startled. She opened her mouth in protest, she felt insulted to the core, and ready to pronounce that she was no servant of his. The flame was distinguished as soon as it came however, for a look his way reminded her of the past 10 months. She had waited for him so long and he was finally back, this wasn't a time for a fight. With a huff and a heavy sigh, Scarlett left the room but indeed, on her way out, grumpily instructed Prissy to get Mr. Butler something to eat.

That there was a gathering for Beau's birthday in the first place would have been unusual had it not been for Melanie's son. Although she hadn't been dead for an entire year, the little boy was loved as much as his mother had been, and even the Old Guard deemed it important to take his mind off the grief. The hypocrites. Even in her death it was Melanie who helped Scarlett. When people realized that she kept her agreement and actually looked after Beau, while none of her past deeds were forgotten, a faint shadow of her reputation actually got restored. In reality Scarlett did little else differently. If she chose to hold back and refrain from anything, then it was merely for Beau's sake or because she pleased that way. His eyes were hauntingly similar to Melanie's and since her death, in Scarlett's mind, Melly had risen to the same pedestal she had always put Ellen on. And Scarlett had done her best to honor her beloved mother's memory, too. More or less.

However, Scarlett couldn't enjoy the party at all and she wished for it to be over soon. All she could think about was Rhett and none of Mrs. Merriwether's hateful looks or mean remarks bothered her at all, for she hardly paid attention. For a brief moment she had considered asking Rhett to come along but something in his demeanor had told her he would have merely laughed her off. Not to mention, the only reason why Rhett had ever entered the Wilkes household was now dead, and the last thing she needed was Rhett making a spectacle of her by treating her so cold in front of everyone. She felt utterly miserable though. She had insisted that she loved him and to have him return when she was hosting a party at Ashley's was the perfect contradiction. Oh but how very unfair and unfortunate this was. She had hardly laid eyes on Ashley in the last ten months, she could hardly stand being near him and for entirely different reasons than in the past. At least the children were having a good time which pleased Scarlett for it meant they were preoccupied and left her alone. Beau, true to his habits, excitedly jumped in her lap once or twice to share something urgent with her but he was otherwise engaged all afternoon. As the evening progressed, given these unfortunate circumstances, Scarlett grew more and more paranoid that Rhett was back to get a divorce and it affected her mood. That she couldn't stop wondering whether Rhett would visit the creature, or already had, didn't help matters either.

---

Rhett did visit Belle. Shortly after Scarlett and the children had left, he took care of his rumbling stomach and headed out. He would stay true to his word and be home when Scarlett and the children returned but he needed to see Belle. She was the only citizen in Atlanta he actually liked and missed and he wanted to let her know personally that he was back. Rhett had done his best to restore his reputation with a purpose; to establish Bonnie's future. With her gone he wasn't the least bit interested in pretenses anymore. It wasn't that Rhett hadn't come to certain conclusions lately, he still very much wanted to lead a more settled life and wanted to see that it still had something good to offer. But Atlanta and its people had proved time and time again that he wouldn't find it here and that played a significant role in his plans for the immediate future.

There was more to Rhett and Belle than mere, occasional physical relations. As far as her allure went, it didn't run deeper than sating physical needs, yet he considered her a good friend, one of the very few people he confided in. But even her Rhett always kept at an arm's length which sometimes frustrated her, albeit she never showed it. He liked her spunk, her wit and that she had a heart but she lacked the spark and spirit that he always loved in Scarlett. Despite what others, and Scarlett, thought, Rhett didn't always necessarily pay Belle visits to engage in condemnable activities. Today was one of those days when he only wanted company and a little relaxation, nothing else. Although he didn't need to, because Belle could always tell, but he had made it clear upon his arrival that he didn't require any services.

"You was away far too long, honey. But you're lookin' better, I'm glad. Ain't gonna lie to you though Rhett, I ain't sure you're bein' smart right now," Belle addressed him from her own seat, late into the afternoon.

"Is that so?" Rhett smirked but Belle could tell he was genuinely interested.

"And here I thought you was free from her spell already. She ain't nothin' but trouble. She's poisonous to every human feelin'."

Rhett truly tried to hide his grin but he failed. Although both would rather die than to admit it, Rhett could clearly see some similarities between Scarlett and Belle and the latter just demonstrated one of them; pride. Feathers had been ruffled and wounds inflicted during their confrontation and while both evidently recovered, the hatred and hard feelings only grew between the two.

"Including yours?"

Belle snorted in a rather un-ladylike manner. "Oh she ain't touched my feelings, honey."

Rhett knew better than that but decided to leave it at that. Oddly it wasn't Scarlett Rhett had initially worried about but Belle. Fact of the matter was that between the two, his darling wife was more inclined to deliver devastating blows to her enemies where it hurt most, just for the sake of it, and especially if her opponent was female. As much as he liked Belle, he was convinced she must have done her fair share of provoking, thus getting Scarlett worked up enough to hit back so hard. He was somewhat amused, almost wishing to have witnessed the confrontation, but thankfully, and evidently, both of them survived.

"Indeed. 'Twas enough to confirm what I already knew. She's a cold hearted wench. I'd keep her in a cage, not in that mansion of yours."

"She's not cold hearted, she just keeps that damn thing out of reach, sometimes out of her own, too," Rhett answered matter of factly. Her expression told him she was expecting either amusement or anger but not such a clear, almost detached conclusion. "She's definitely not cold hearted to those she really cares about. In fact she's adoring, devoted and foolishly forgiving in her love." That was clear to him from her conduct with Ashley. The man had practically been the perfect God in her eyes until she overcame her own infatuation and saw what everybody else did; Ashley was weak. "It took me a while, including the past ten months, to figure out a thing or two. I intend to take good advantage of it and to be smarter this time."

Indeed, Rhett had spent a lot of time thinking and doing it while he was away from her provided a badly needed clarity. There were many things Scarlett yet had to learn. The war had hardened her and she built solid walls to shut out anything and everything that could possibly hinder her. But the war was over. Common sense was what she understood but, in her quest to survive, she was ever on guard, and Rhett had a nagging suspicion Scarlett simply didn't know how to let go. He didn't deny that had been an allure at first but it had evidently hurt him and, in the long run, it would hurt her, too, more than it already had. Rhett was convinced and determined in his plan to tear down her walls, only then would they have any chance.

"I spoiled her and then I spoiled Bonnie, both with disastrous consequences. I'm not making that mistake with her again."

"So, you stayin'?"

"No. Not for now, but neither is she for that matter. I'm taking her away for a while."

"That should please her. And 'Lanta, too." Belle chuckled.

But Rhett's face remained serious. "I don't care about Atlanta. As for Scarlett, I'm sure she'll have plenty of reasons to be displeased," for he intended to do what he failed to do the first time around.

Belle quietly sipped on her drink and eyed him from her seat. She wasn't sure if his return was a good idea but evidently Rhett had made up his mind. Gone was the frustration and well hidden heartache from his demeanor, he looked determined and, quite simply, wiser and more sober than ever. He was a fine man, the most exciting she had ever seen and Scarlett didn't deserve him.

----

Scarlett was extremely fidgety by the time she was to leave the party. She nearly shoved the last guests out the door, getting a few disapproving scowls in return, but in her mind they definitely lingered more than they should have. Why, it was still mourning period, and all the hypocrites had to forget about all that on _this_ evening of all evenings. What happened to impropriety and all the accusations they had thrown at her before? Thus, Scarlett was held longer than she wished and uncharacteristically, for a very brief moment, never wished to attend or host any party ever again. India had made arrangements, if there was one thing the old maid excelled at then it was throwing big and lavish parties, all thanks to her late father's old habits. As she was out of town, however, Scarlett was asked to help out. Aunt Pittypat was all too happy to mingle with her friends who brought grandchildren along, and Ashley was preoccupied with other gentleman. Well a party for kids wasn't exactly Scarlett's idea of fun anyway, but any kind of inclination to have a good time had been nipped in the bud with Rhett's return. The long wait had been killing her, given how unpredictable Rhett could be, and Scarlett really had been on the edge lately. Her patience had been tested, it was only her tenacity that helped her keep holding on. Now that Rhett was back, however, she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and wanted to do everything she could to get him back.

It was well into the evening when Scarlett and the children arrived home and she instructed Prissy to take Wade and Ella upstairs and get them ready for bed. For the first time Scarlett was glad Mammy wasn't around, she couldn't tell anymore how she would react to her plans to get Rhett to stay. Mammy had fully intended to return to Atlanta with her lamb, which puzzled Scarlett, but she had realized Tara was just as much of a source of strength for Mammy as it was for her. Suellen had fallen ill, however, and Mammy was needed for the rest of her pregnancy, as well as after the birth while she recuperated. Scarlett was somewhat happy about that, Mammy had evidently regained her vigor and Scarlett felt restricted in her presence. She had a mighty difficult time hiding her bruises from her after she had fallen from her horse, too. For some baffling reason, Mammy thought it a bad idea for her to be alone and often murmured something about not having anyone to keep her at bay.

Her heart was thumping in her chest as she looked around, the house seemed as quiet as ever and for a moment her heart sunk, thinking maybe Rhett had left already. She looked in the parlor first where she had left him, then headed straight to his room but it was just as empty. To her disappointment the room looked as untouched as it had been ten months ago. No bags, no clothes, so he wasn't back for good, she realized with dismay. She called out his name and looked in every other room that he used to spend his time in (when at home), but Rhett was nowhere to be found. Bitter realization that he must have gone to Belle's turned her mood even sourer and she grumpily ascended the stairs to head to her room. Why, she had first fallen for a gentleman who never dared acting upon his urges, and then for a skunk who acted too much upon his urges -- both drove her crazy. Maybe there was something to be said for both Charles and Frank, she thought bitterly.

Removing her cameo, Scarlett loosened the collar of her dress and dolorously slipped into her room.

"Why, Mrs. Butler, that's really an unbecoming kind of gloom on your pretty face. Don't tell me your party wasn't successful?" His smooth drawl nearly made Scarlett jump out of her skin and she came to an abrupt stop. This was the last place she had expected him to be, he caught her completely off guard.

"Rhett," she breathed. "Why, you… I… you're here."

"Does that surprise you?"

"Well, yes," she answered and finally came to her senses again. He was standing by the window, close to her vanity table, looking as confident as ever. As if he belonged there. She had banished him from this room long ago and her joy over seeing him nearly made her forget that he invaded her personal quarters. But she didn't mind, she wanted him back.

"I don't see a reason. It's my house, isn't it? Besides, I've told you I'd be here when you get back and I tend to keep my word."

The smell of his cigar, undoubtedly finished not long ago, lingered in the room and Scarlett was certain it would remain so for a while. Aside from her father, she had come to associate it with Rhett, too, and that all too familiar longing and regret returned. She loved him, she was certain of that, but all hopeful thoughts that his presence in her bedroom meant something were quickly trumped by reading his demeanor. His stare was hard, so was his tone, and everything he had done and said so far came across as an attempt to inconvenience her. A few years ago it would have been normal, but things were different now, as were her feelings. Was this his way of letting her know he was taking the room back and wanted her out of it, out of his life altogether? Well, she wouldn't go. She wasn't willing to give the room, the house and, most of all, him up.

"Rhett, I need to talk to you," she finally found her voice and she sounded determined. She stepped up to him, hoping that by keeping him by the window she could force him to listen to her. She didn't wait for a response, instead went ahead with her plan.

"You can't do this to me, Rhett," she began. "It would be disgraceful and so shameful, my mother would be beside herself if she was alive. I was a stupid fool for so long, and so blind, I know, but everything I told you is true. It's true." Scarlett wouldn't beg, she refused to. If there had been a chance for it to get to him, then she would do it, but knowing it hadn't worked the first time around either, she wouldn't inconvenience herself like that for nothing. Still, her need to make him understand, as well as her patience, worn so utterly thin in the past months, made her desperate. So the words just poured and poured, all the thoughts of the past months coming out in a jumble of a rant. "I just want us to have another chance, I can see clearly now. There were so many things I didn't get and… and you confused me, too, but it's different now. Ashley doesn't mean anything to me anymore, he hasn't meant anything for a while now. This party was for Beau too, I, I need to honor Melanie's memory. I refuse to consent a divorce, I know my word isn't worth much at court but I'll fight tooth and nail if I have to. I told myself all these months that you would be back. I know you care, you must." She insisted stubbornly.

"Have you finished?" He asked calmly.

"Uh…," Scarlett ever so gently moved a shoulder in her unease, her expression uncertain, and shifted slightly, "…yes."

"I am not back for a divorce."

"But Rhett! It's, oh… you're not?" Her face changed suddenly, determination was replaced by surprise and hope – and a little justification.

"No. You are right, I still care." His eyes bore into hers. "But I care about myself just as much, maybe more, and don't forget that. I haven't the slightest illusion that it isn't the same for you, we are cut from the same cloth, after all."

Scarlett was getting a little agitated, why was he doubting her? "I've told you I love you," she told him with more passion she had ever demonstrated before.

He eyed her without a word for a moment, clear satisfaction shining in his dark eyes. The irony wasn't lost on Rhett, Scarlett had demonstrated the same unladylike forwardness with her feelings to a certain man when circumstances pressed her. This time that man went by the name of Rhett Butler and not Ashley Wilkes – and Rhett Butler didn't shrink away from the admission how it pleased him. Neither did he shrink away from taking advantage of it. "So you want me and not a divorce," he stated and she nodded eagerly in affirmation. "Well thank you, my dear, for so adequately and unselfishly enlightening me of all _your_ wants and needs, as always, I didn't expect anything less from you," her face fell, looking uncomfortable. He was mocking her again. "And what's in it for me?" He slid his hands in his pockets and regarded her curiously.

"Um… " Scarlett was startled for a second but it didn't last long. "Anything you want." She meant it, her eyes told him as much.

Rhett resisted the urge to chuckle, she had just proved his point. Devoted and adoring in her love. And to think what and how long it took her to stay this to him…

"You're a business woman, Scarlett, and we have established you have a good head on your shoulders, so I shall speak to you clearly, for sugarcoating and subtleties never did work with you, and Heaven knows I've foolishly kept too much from you." His gaze simultaneously hardened with his tone as he continued. „There's not one woman in the world I have allowed or ever thought I would allow to pull everything on me that you did, my dear. Well it's done and over with. You know I care and I know you care, except between the two of us, I'm the one who wouldn't hesitate to walk away. Don't look so defiant and proud, you know I'm right. I'm back on my own accord and because I've never been one to give up something of mine that I still could enjoy one way or another. Waste always made me angry and it still does, but let this be clear; I won't hesitate to file for divorce if I see nothing worthy is left in this marriage."

Not all of his speech registered in Scarlett's mind, she was too preoccupied with the one revelation she wanted to hear; he still cared. Those were the words she had longed to hear during the last couple of months but they did not have the ring to them she had always imagined they would. To her dismay, his admission that he still loved her wasn't with actual joy, instead there was a great deal of bitterness to it and that wasn't how a woman wanted a love confession. Scarlett stubbornly pushed these thoughts aside and latched onto the one that counted the most. He still cared, he still loved her. She would hold on to that.

"There has been too much bitterness and misery in this marriage, so I'm changing the rules, Scarlett. I want everything or nothing," he announced his ultimatum.

"Of course," she responded without the slightest hesitation. Frankly, Scarlett was too eager to care about anything else, she was ready to give him whatever he wanted. This was her second chance, she wouldn't be a fool to waste it, but then her ever practical mind kicked in… "Everything?"

"Everything, and by that I mean precisely what you think," he said simply. "I won't take no for an answer, for anything. I have satisfied your stupid needs all these years but you were too self absorbed to see any of my efforts to please you. You wanted fortune, I provided it. I even agreed to live in this pitiful, architectural disaster for years. You wanted lavish parties and countless fancy gadgets; well I gave them to you, and everything else, too. You want to keep me, now it's your turn to make the effort."

As always when he hit a sore spot and she felt out of her depth, Scarlett deemed it wiser to remain silent not to give him more grounds for attack. Her temper did flare, his words about her beloved house and her needs that were very important to her ruffled her, but he had the upper hand. Not even Scarlett was foolish enough to expect him to run back to her, forget everything and act like a lovesick teenager, especially not after everything that they had gone through. He had always been smarter, one step ahead and infuriatingly dominant -- even now when she had him literally cornered it felt the other way around. It was a part of his allure too, however, and Scarlett had longed to feel his strength again. His façade had always made her believe he would never crumble, which had both frustrated and reassured her, but she had learned to realize, and with great deal of regret, that she had broken his spirit. While that would have pleased her many years ago whenever he provoked her enough that she wanted to gain leverage, it no longer felt the least bit triumphant. Maybe for the first time however, she saw truth in his insistence that they were alike. She had recovered from her own fall and Rhett seemed just as reborn as she was. She had made a vow to try her best to keep him and here he was now offering her a chance -- and all she needed to do was to give him what he wanted. Well, that should be simple, she thought. He wanted her, she wanted him, soon everything should fall into place. She had learned to put up with his sharp tongue and cruel jibes over the years, it should work no hardship on her, and she was hopeful everything would be back to normal as it had been at the beginning of their marriage. Except this time there was no Ashley Wilkes and her own infatuation to spoil her happiness. She was strong enough for this.

"I will," she told him, and for the first time in years Scarlett felt truly happy again, she was convinced life had just taken a turn for the better. She closed the gap between them and placed her palms on his chest, "it'll be different this time."

He eyed her but, to her disappointment, made no move to touch her. Oh how she wished he would take her in his arms. "Now start packing, my dear." He told her and stepped aside before starting towards the door.

"Packing?" Her eyes grew big.

"We're leaving tomorrow." He turned back to her.

"Leaving? Where?"

"I'm taking you away for a trip. We need a fresh start and I am sick of Atlanta. Have Prissy pack for the children, too, they are going to Charleston."

"What? But…" This was too fast, she had a hard time catching on.

"I want time alone with you. My mother and sister will welcome company."

"Rhett, that sounds wonderful," she began, trying to process all the information at once, "but maybe they should go to Tara. Mammy-"

"You don't suppose I'll let Mammy take on such responsibilities, do you? Not with so much going on already. As far as I know, she has her hands full, and Sister Sue doesn't need two more children to look after while she's still recovering."

"As if I cared what that ungrateful excuse of a sister needs. It should be time she returned the favors." She muttered darkly, with more venom she had ever demonstrated about Suellen, while lowering her gaze. It completely escaped her attention just how well informed Rhett was.

"Charleston it is," he stated and when Scarlett looked up, she realized there was no place for argument. She didn't protest for she didn't have the slightest doubt that Rhett would try his best for her children. He always had. She also didn't feel inclined to oppose him, not when they had just agreed on a fresh start, and the sound of a trip with Rhett was just splendid.

He watched her nod in acknowledgment and then leisurely walked back to her. If he had ever reminded her of a cat watching a mouse hole, now he appeared every bit like that same cat having cornered his prey. Given his lack of physical contact for so long and refusal to return her touch earlier, Scarlett was surprised when he took her chin with a hand and unceremoniously bent his head to kiss her. It wasn't a particularly gentle kiss but it lacked the vigor and violence he often used to demonstrate. His tongue parted her lips and then slid into her mouth, exploring her with great familiarity. It was enough to stir long dormant feelings within her but it was over sooner than she had anticipated. A pleased, even cheeky smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he looked like he had just sampled his favorite dessert.

"Sweet, just as I remembered," he murmured against her lips, more to himself than to her, before he pulled away. "I'm afraid you won't get to sleep in tomorrow, my pet, as our train leaves rather early." He turned to leave and called to her over his shoulder. "Pack only the utmost necessities, we'll buy everything else we need later."

"But Rhett, where are we going?" She asked as soon as she recovered.

"To Mandeville."

"Where is that?"

"In Louisiana, close to New Orleans." He noted the way her eyes lit up and with those last words he exited her room, leaving her alone to let her pack.

Judging by the excitement in her eyes, Rhett was aware Scarlett didn't actually grasp what was to come but he didn't even expect her to. Yet. They had a lot to face but he had made up his mind to go through with this, so he would. He had accepted the fact that he would never be free of her spell -as Belle had put it, but since he was now aware of it, he might as well make the best out of it. In his eagerness he had spoiled her when it was the last thing she needed, stepped aside when he shouldn't have and stepped up too strongly when it was uncalled for. He never thought of himself as the kind of pushover as Charles and Frank had been, but he had yielded to her needs more than she, or he, had realized at the time. He did take some of the blame for that, but there was no fear within him left, and that made him feel stronger. She had made it clear she wanted to remain married, so now she would have to play by his rules, and his rules alone. He did not intend to play games with her this time to deter her from discovering his real feelings, there was no use in it, but he was sure she wasn't going to like the tighter reins. He was tired of running after her, trying to capture her heart – he had it already. He had pampered her all these years, well those days were over.

**To Be Continued**…


	6. Curb And Spurs

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Gone With The Wind and its characters belong to their respective owners. I make no money out of this, I'm just having fun.**

**A/N: **This is a pretty long installment I know but I didn't want to break it up because I feel all of these eventsbelong in this chapter. :)

**-****--**

Scarlett was unaware that Rhett had made a trip to Tara before returning to Atlanta. It was really only Mammy Rhett had spoken to and she was the only reason why he had gone there in the first place. An off handed remark by his own mother had settled in his mind and it refused to leave. He was bitter, he still harbored hard feelings and he would need time to work through them, he needed to work through them with Scarlett, but a very rational part of him admitted the truth; Scarlett had no mother left. Regardless of what he thought of her childhood teachings, regardless of her own strength, Ellen Robillard O'Hara had been a very important person in Scarlett's life, and she was gone. She had been influential and, ironically, had she been alive, Rhett doubted Scarlett would have married him. She had no father left either and not any older brothers to speak of. The only person who still fulfilled any parental role in her life was Mammy. There was an interesting mixture of joy and disapproval on Mammy's face during his brief visit. His purpose was to let her know that he intended to have a fresh start with Scarlett but the bridge he had built with Mammy was something he wanted to keep, too. She never called him out on why exactly, she would never do that, but judging by her demeanor he could tell she was disappointed in him. Stronger than her disappointment was her worry over Scarlett and Mammy seemed entirely convinced that if there was one person left in this world who could prevent her from flying off the handle, then it was him. Provided _he_ didn't fly off the handle, that is. That _was_ something she clearly told him.

She called them mules again, and expressed her disapproval over how reckless Scarlett had become. The implication was clear and true to herself, she scolded him without criticizing him directly for his involvement – a deeply rooted habit from her life as a slave. In the end they both agreed that Scarlett needed to learn limits, but in an uncharacteristically direct moment, Mammy sighed and asked him to try to stay reasonable, especially in light of their age difference. Despite her uneducated background, Mammy was a wise woman if there ever was one, Rhett was convinced of that. He explained to her that he intended to take Scarlett on a trip, probably for an entire month or more to give them time to adjust and that he didn't want either Wade or Ella around to experience any tension. So when he said that, in light of Mammy's busy days, he'd rather send the children to Charleston, and that it had nothing to do with his faith in her, Mammy understood. He didn't tell her how he planned to go about the fresh start and she, naturally, didn't ask. Mammy knew her place, she always had, but her strong feelings for the O'Hara family, and Scarlett in particular, were clear in her parting words. She narrowed her eyes and, albeit with different words, reminded him that Scarlett was a tough cookie and he _had _known that all along but, as long as they didn't kill each other, she would be happy to see them make amends. There was no doubt left in Rhett, however, that he would be forever out of her good books if he hurt Scarlett for she loved her unconditionally.

---

The morning after his return to Atlanta, the entire family set off with the morning train. Scarlett and Rhett headed to Mandeville in Louisiana while Prissy and the children were put on a train to Charleston with a chaperone. Ella was struggling with tears when they were told that they were to stay in Charleston and Wade looked utterly disappointed. The boy always looked at Rhett in a similar fashion as he looked at his own mother, intimidated yet idolizing, but for the first time Rhett detected resentment. He wasn't surprised. Wade was growing and, his fear aside, was very attached to his mother, maybe even more so these days. Naturally, when told about their plans, his early joy over his stepfather's return was gone and, Rhett figured, the boy wasn't happy that he was taking Scarlett away and for so long. He realized the children would have felt much better had they been sent to Tara, but he was confident that his mother and sister could occupy them in their absence. His mother had assured him it was a good idea and promised that she and Rosemarie would take care of them.

He observed Scarlett keenly when she said her good bye to her children. She was bubbling with excitement ever since they had left the house, and that had Rhett convinced she was having entirely different expectations than he was. He couldn't decide if her uncharacteristically warm moment with Wade and Ella was simply the result of her excitement or it was another sign of changes in her. Nevertheless he watched with great curiosity as she hugged Ella and then pressed a kiss on Wade's head. Sadly, it was the wrong moment to be affectionate because it made matters worse and she evidently hadn't anticipated that. Rhett could tell her intentions were good and wanted to reassure the children, but they only longed to stay with her all the more. She reacted to that in a typical Scarlett fashion; she gave them a scowl, told them that she and Rhett would be back soon enough and they should stop the nonsense. It did the trick. Just to make sure they didn't part on such a strict note, Rhett promised both of them really great presents, but even that didn't seem to ease Wade's state of mind about him.

Their first night together was spent in a hotel but Scarlett could hardly remember any of it. Somewhere along the line she had eaten something that her stomach did not agree with and, once she got over feeling sick, spent the night completely passed out. Any nervousness or awkwardness that might have come about failed to come for that reason and they resumed their journey the next day.

Although she was thoroughly preoccupied with all the things she wanted to do during this trip, Rhett's behavior wasn't really lost on her. She could tell she had a tough job ahead of her but he was somewhat different from what she was used to. There was none of the physical detachment Scarlett had half anticipated. She knew they had a great deal of mending to do but she was convinced that spending time together, living as careless and happy just as they did in the first weeks of their honeymoon, would do them good. He had made it perfectly clear that he wanted every aspect of marriage, yet he had made no advances yet. Already on his first night back in Atlanta he had left her alone for the entire night, albeit it was mostly spent with packing. His words and demeanor were sometimes stern enough for her to realize he still had some of his anger left, but it didn't come out the way she had anticipated it. He didn't provoke her or pick on her words as much since they left Atlanta, instead there was an unusual somberness around him and Scarlett noticed a far away look on his face quite often. Each time it happened, she grew even more determined in her plan to have as much fun with him as possible, to show to him, and herself, that this indeed was a new beginning. She felt quite free and content, she had Rhett and wealth and was on her way to another spectacular vacation with him. In the past when he was angry with her, he was either violent or avoided her altogether. Scarlett was somewhat puzzled that neither happened this time. He was still too distant and failed to entertain her with his stories that she loved so much, but he wasn't violent or cruel either. Oddly, knowing his passion and what lurked in those black eyes, this kind of demeanor would have been more frightening than his rage had Scarlett not been convinced it wouldn't last long. She was convinced he would get out of this state as soon as they went out to dance, to shop and did all those fun things they had done in New Orleans. Physically he wasn't keeping a distance from her. He remained close to her side, helped her in and helped her out of trains, carriages, doors, he gave her every courtesy a woman deserved. He guided her with a firm hand and kept an arm around her or a hand on the small of her back like a good husband would. He was constant and ever present, simply a balance between the extremes of his volatile nature. Scarlett thought nothing peculiar about it, however, not these first few days anyway. Their journey to Mandeville kept her preoccupied and figured that, as always, he would come off his mood.

That certain mood came down to an inner struggle that would plague Rhett for a while. Although his mind had been made up, seeing Scarlett again and being so near her awoke many more feelings he had anticipated. Both good and bad. He spent hours watching her sleep during that night in the hotel and mused about her. She was still only 28, according to society she was advancing middle age, yet she wasn't even as old yet as he had been when they first met. She was still beautiful, more so than at 16, and so infuriating. He longed to touch her, but there was that constant anger that wouldn't leave. Every once in a while he wondered if his intentions were born out of true inclination to start anew or out of anger to get back at her. Maybe the latter had something to do with it too, but it certainly wasn't the main reason. She seemed as alive as always, and a part of him found it charming. He admitted to himself that had Scarlett not declared her love for him, he wouldn't have returned. He had arrived to the conclusion that he simply failed, that he, the one and only Rhett Butler who could get any woman he pleased, could not get the one he truly wanted. He had his white flag up high as he sailed away from her, unable to fight for her any more. But as he came to his own again, he realized what he had left behind: a new opening. A chance. The last door that was left for him to walk through and, naturally, at one point during his travel he had realized it and, with some resentment, scurried back to her with his tail between his legs. That was what he felt like, except his attitude beautifully cloaked that. He couldn't resist her, he never could, and that infuriated him. He had learned from his mistakes and by God, he had made many, but Rhett Butler had a great deal of pride that was tough to suppress. He wouldn't lie to her, he had told her clearly that he still cared for her. But he was convinced that by controlling her, he could control himself, too, and then he would gain the ultimate upper hand.

That resentment was directed at her as much as it was directed at himself. He was still hurt, even if a part of him blamed her for ignoring his past efforts, in reality, he had disguised himself with a carefully designed façade. He had jumped into a loveless marriage with every intention of winning her heart. He had suffered because he failed and because he was foolish enough to try such a thing to begin with but, to his credit, he loved her truly and dearly. Between the two of them it was still Scarlett who held up better, he thought, for while she would be just fine, he very much longed to have her dress his wounds and kiss the pain away. Rhett, whether justly or not, felt he deserved it. He wanted her all to himself but, maybe out of some cowardice, he figured, he wanted her to do the work. He knew her mind enough to be convinced she indeed felt as she insisted on, that her love confession was genuine.

He also felt guilty, for he had failed her as well. Her personality aside, he had done his fair share of damage, too. He taught her how to be cruel to people, to be flippant, how to enjoy life without the slightest care in the world, to be daring and that consequences be damned and it was only natural that it fired back at him. He may have had some sort of a grip on reality but Scarlett was different for Rhett, for long, failed to realize the impact of the drastic changes she had gone through. Scarlett swung between extremes, from an idyllic and pleasant childhood she thrust into starving and poverty, only to find herself enjoying a nearly limitless wealth on his side once more. All he had done was swing her higher. The Old Guard's hypocrisy aside, she alienated many people, couldn't judge people for what they really were, associated with those who wouldn't be true friends and instead of warning her, he first encouraged it and then left her completely alone to deal with her shortcomings while he was busy spoiling Bonnie. If that hadn't been enough, he wasn't really consequent in his dealings with her either, for he berated her and treated her harsh for her mistakes and carelessness while he hid his true feelings and came across unpredictable. He was aware that in her eyes, his actions had held no rhyme or reason, and in those moments of self admissions, he wished to take her in his arms and apologize. She wouldn't understand it though, not yet, and definitely not the real reasons why he was seeking her forgiveness. All his mistakes strengthened and got embedded in those personality traits of hers that, unbeknownst to her, continued to work to her disadvantage.

Rhett had his many reasons to tighten the reins on Scarlett as he had so adequately called it once. His pride, his guilt, anger, maybe some insecurity but love as well. He was hurt and angry with her while he still loved and wanted her but, sadly, he did not trust her. While dead set on teaching her lessons, Rhett had his own ahead to learn. That he was trying to push her from one extreme to another again didn't register with him. Yet. It was as if that butterfly he had been chasing finally decided to stay put and he caught it in his hands, but as it had always eluded him, he gripped it hard out of fear that it would fly away again.

---

The first sign Scarlett noticed of Rhett's change in attitude, aside from that unusual seriousness, happened while they stopped in New Orleans to shop for clothes. They didn't bring many, true to his word Rhett planned to purchase everything they needed for their stay on their way. Scarlett was thrilled with the idea for she loved everything in New Orleans and her finest, favorite frocks and gowns were all from there. None of her new clothes included mourning wear, in fact he made her change out of the one she was traveling in and leave in one of her newest frocks immediately after their first purchase.

"Take that off, black isn't your color," he told her.

Scarlett couldn't help the surprise, black had never been her favorite color but not only was she mourning Melanie but Bonnie, too.

"I'm in mourning." She reminded him, her eyes darkening a little.

"You can do that without these clothes, too, it's not something that comes off with a frock."

Rhett had gone out of his way to confuse her in the last couple of years but one thing he never could, or tried to, hide, and that was his love for Bonnie. Rhett always disliked funeral crêpe, he disliked funerals altogether, and her mind flew back to those awful hours and days after Bonnie's death. There wasn't a day going by without her thinking of her daughter, a fact that would probably surprise most, but as her way of dealing with feelings puzzled people, her dislike of black wear did, too. Except Rhett, for the most part. In reality the mourning wear felt restricting, as if grief clung to her body in the form of that gloomy dark and suffocating material. Scarlett wouldn't let herself dwell in her sorrow, those depressing weeks at Tara took her to a place she never wished to see again and, sadly, black was the perfect reminder of it. For once she could tell what Rhett was thinking, the same kind of pain flickered on his face upon her mention of grief that had dominated his features back then. His words were sharp, Bonnie was still a touchy topic for both of them, one that they both apparently avoided mentioning, but she could detect no disregard of her mourning in his words, for the simple reason that she had always agreed with him on this matter. If there was something that bothered her then it was that disturbing feeling of having to walk on eggshells but as she did not wish to think about Bonnie and her loss right now, she complied without arguing. It really wasn't out of vanity that she was eager to shed all that black this time, but because of all it reminded her of.

That Rhett was peculiar about everything else she chose came as no surprise; he had always been vocal about his disapproval of her taste, it was something entirely different that caught her off guard and roused her a bit.

"Oh, Rhett, look at that. How beautiful is that?" Scarlett stopped abruptly, staring at an enormous crystal chandelier. It was extravagant, not at all fitting to any of the designs in their home, but it glittered beautifully in the light and was just what Scarlett liked. "I need to get that."

"No," he said simply.

"What? Why?" She looked at him quizzically.

"It's a waste."

"But we have the money for it."

"But we don't need it."

"I do." She stated defiantly.

He raised an eyebrows in challenge. "What for?"

"I…" she frowned. "Why, what puzzling questions you ask. What do you use chandeliers for?"

"For that purpose we have plenty other ugly chandeliers already."

"Oh fiddle-dee-dee. It would fit my office perfectly, it's always so dark anyway."

"That's because you didn't think smartly when you chose the atrocious design."

"Well, this piece looks marvelous."

He chuckled. "It doesn't make it useful. No, my dear, I own enough pretty but useless things, I don't wish to add more."

Scarlett, for a moment, wondered what that was supposed to mean but he gave her no time to muse about it, for he merely turned and nudged her along. Evidently he was done with the discussion and Scarlett let out a sigh. She wasn't too passionate about buying the thing but Rhett's refusal was unusual, he always bought her anything she wanted – as long as she wasn't sneaky about it. She didn't think much of this incident however, not yet, especially in light of his further purchases that included many more clothes. They simply took her mind off it.

---

The house that Rhett owned in Mandeville was marvelous, although much smaller than the one in Atlanta. His property included a good portion of the shore to Lake Pontchartrain and Scarlett thought it looked idyllic. There was only one cook in the house and one servant, which Scarlett was surprised about until Rhett reminded her it stood vacant for quite a while and didn't need an actual staff. The sun was already setting when they finished unpacking and Rhett went to take a bath with the promise of preparing her new, hot water as soon as he was finished. It was some time later that she was standing on the balcony, admiring the view over the lake, when the smell of his cigar hit her nose, notifying her of his approach.

"Oh this is mighty beautiful." She exclaimed and, hearing his footsteps behind her, she turned to him. She slid an arm around his waist, a move that felt quite natural with his physical proximity, but was dismayed when he turned his head away. The arm that went around her came as an instant relief and Scarlett realized he turned only to prevent blowing smoke into her face and hair.

His eyes were challenging as he looked at her and Scarlett was unsure whether to act upon her urge to kiss him or wait for him to make a move. This was the first time in her entire life, save for a few occasions with Ashley, that Scarlett actually felt inclined to share an intimate moment. For her a kiss, her allure and relations had never held any feelings, they had meant nothing but power over others and, knowing that she was alluring, in her confidence never had any hesitation to use her charms. This was different, however, and his lack of advances left her completely alone in the dark as to what to do. She had caught his eyes wandering and taking in the sight of her body on a few occasions during the past two days, but they had been so preoccupied with traveling, her food poisoning and then shopping that nothing really happened, there simply was no time.

"It is beautiful," he spoke finally and his eyes shifted to her lips.

Scarlett knew that look, she had seen it many times before to be able to tell what was to come and she anticipated his bending his head to capture her lips with his own. But he didn't. There was no denial on his face or any indication that he wouldn't like a kiss, but instead of moving, he continued staring down at her expectantly. Well Scarlett had kissed him before in the spur of the moment, in her excitement, out of gratitude or out of duty during the years, but never with a conscious need to act upon her feelings. However daring and fearless Scarlett was in everything else, this was entirely new territory for her and he didn't seem inclined to guide her. So Scarlett lowered her eyes, she felt utterly exposed and the nerves got the better of her. Never once had Rhett pulled away from her whenever she touched him but, she realized, he was acting true to his word; he was expecting her to make the efforts. Scarlett was used to him taking what he wanted, this was entirely new for her. Regardless of her past eagerness to foolishly try to please Ashley in any way possible, or her very efficient ways of getting what she wanted, Rhett was different. It took her a while to realize all Ashley could hurt was her pride, not her heart, it was Rhett who held the power to do so. So, feeling rather uncertain, Scarlett turned her head back to the sunset in her unease but could tell from the corner of her eye that his gaze remained on her. He raised his cigar to his lips once more and inhaled, appearing satisfied with everything he had; a big fortune, the girl and power.

"Your bath awaits," he told her after a short silence.

Given the lack of a maid, Rhett was to help her with everything. She knew him to be capable of taking care of her, which wouldn't have been unusual had there not been for the years spent in separate bedrooms. So when he began unlacing her a short while later, Scarlett couldn't help the nerves that turned her stomach into a tight knot, for a simple kiss and marital relations were entirely different.

Ever since their last night together, Scarlett couldn't put her head around what he had done to her. It was unlike anything she had experienced and that included her intimate moments with Rhett, too. Neither Charles nor Frank came close to making her even comfortable, but at least the pain ceased after a while. Scarlett couldn't know that her own personality and bullying nature had them so starved for and uptight about physical intimacy that, each time she decided to grant them favors, they wanted to be as quick as possible not to anger her or make her change her mind before they could get their pleasure. Thus, all Scarlett had experienced of physical intimacy was wheezing, clumsy frenzy in the form of her husbands' frantic conduct, and she was just glad if an occasion came along when she wasn't feeling discomfort or, simply, repulsed. So when Rhett had first taken her, for the life of her, Scarlett couldn't figure why on earth he was taking his time, if not for selfishly prolonging his own enjoyment. It wasn't until a few frustrated murmurs slipped out of his lips, during which he cursed both Charles and Frank for so deeply ruining her attitude about something that was ought to be fun, that she realized he was expecting her to enjoy it. Well the sight of his muscular chest, disheveled hair and carefully controlled ecstasy was nowhere near as repulsive as her previous husbands – on the contrary. Yet there was a deeply rooted defiance that, for some reason, continued to compel her to rebel and defy Rhett even in his passion. Their bargain had been clear and she gave him what she had promised; her body, but it was obvious he was thriving to make her enjoy what he was doing to her, and admitting that surrendering to him - or anybody, was actually a good thing was something she absolutely rejected. It was where she had drawn the line, the last door she refused to let him in, aside from the one to her heart, something she kept out of his reach to make it clear that she wasn't completely his. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of enjoying sex with him, thus, it wasn't until that hot and wild night that Scarlett realized what she had been fending off. And oh how very marvelous and ecstatic that surrender was. Rhett had a lot to do with it, too, that was a night where he had completely lost control and it was as frightening as exciting. So Scarlett was unsure about what was to come, for he certainly made it clear what he expected, but he clearly wanted her to participate, or worse, to initiate. Her mother would be completely horrified if she were alive and to know that her daughter was actually having a dilemma about this matter. As a good wife she was supposed to submit to her husband's needs and nothing else, but Scarlett wasn't like any other wives, especially not after that mad night. Her cheeks reddened whenever she found herself longing to experience that ecstasy again. His rough hands, wild looks, strong grips and all-consuming presence gave her more pleasure she had ever thought possible feeling, and she couldn't stop wondering if he could make her feel that way again without that drunken euphoria. Or if he wanted to make her feel that way at all.

She now knew what it was she had denied him after Bonnie's birth. Knowing now how he had felt back then, Scarlett remembered her own agony over longing to be with Ashley. Except between her and Rhett, her husband held more freedom given the fact that he was a man, and a rascal at that, and without the slightest regard of society and propriety, sought out ways to satisfy his body's needs. Not his heart's, however. She bit her lower lip upon that though. He was a varmint sometimes, that was certain, but Scarlett now regretted having denied him more than ever. That he found women to entertain himself with hadn't bothered her back then for the sole reason of it relieving her of her duties, but that was then and she was feeling differently these days. The thought of him touching another woman now made her blood boil.

Her thoughts were confusing, so were her feelings, except for the very fact that she loved him, but even that couldn't keep her from being a little jumpy each time his fingers brushed against a particularly sensitive spot on her body.

"Done." He told her when he finished unlacing her stays and remained close behind her. She could feel him breathe.

"Thank you, I'll manage from here," she said, and moved away without looking back, slipping into the bathroom quickly. Removing the rest of her clothes were easy and she sunk into the water with great relief. She needed this.

The entire day spent with traveling and shopping, especially in the summer heat, had made her uncomfortable in her skin, so Scarlett took her time in the bath. It was her place to completely relax, and she let her body soak in the water until it turned cold. She was stalling, too, she knew that, and cursed herself for being so uptight about the whole matter. Compared to the conflicting emotions she was experiencing over it at the moment, her past times with Rhett where she only had her reluctance to deal with appeared much simpler suddenly. She had agonized over the simple matter much less for her feelings hadn't been involved, or at least she hadn't been aware of them.

When at last she emerged from the bathroom, dressed in her nightgown and a wrapper, the first thing her eyes caught was the half empty bottle of whiskey. She knew he could hold his liquor, but the sight instantly took her back to that certain night.

"I won't bite." His smooth drawl startled her and she turned to his direction to find him lying in bed lazily. He must have read the expression on her face.

Straightening her back, Scarlett did her best to mask her hesitation. "I'm sure you don't," she replied nonchalantly, and approached him before shedding her wrapper and slipping into bed.

Rhett moved, but not for her. He left the bed briefly to take care of the lights and when he returned in the darkness, Scarlett could feel the bed dip before he settled, without the covers on, and stayed put. She wasn't sure how it was possible but she was both relieved and upset about it. Lying on her back, she clutched the loose sheet over her chest, wondering how long she would be able to stay underneath it for the summer heat was constant, even at night. She wanted him to touch her yet her long term rejection and experience with intimacy were at odds with each other. She wanted to show him it was a new beginning indeed and that she wouldn't deny him, yet it felt entirely wrong to long for something so lewd. She knew what to do to let Charles, even in their short marriage, and Frank know that they were allowed to proceed, but Rhett had always been different – he never needed any sign in the first place. Scarlett was getting frustrated by the minute but her face felt hot just by the mere thought of mentioning something as wanton as wanting to feel pleasure.

But most of all, she longed to feel close to him, to sleep in his arms again because, ironically, he was the one who could always make her feel safe. Once she touched him, however, it would open a door to everything that left her in so much turmoil. It was a vicious circle. Oh, why couldn't he just do something?

"Good night," she said, tentatively, but was met with silence.

"Good night," he finally responded just when she thought he had fallen asleep already.

Frustrated, Scarlett sighed and turned away from him. It was the long travel and busy day that helped her fall asleep rather quickly, but she would awake much sooner than the morning.

Scarlett wasn't the only one frustrated, Rhett had his trouble, too, albeit different one. He fought a most distracting inner battle all day long which was getting worse by the minute. It was that anger that he found himself unable to let go of, even when he knew for certain he still loved her. Each time she looked at him and gave him a smile, he wanted to pull her close and grant her every wish. Then came the reminder how useless that strategy had been in terms of gaining her heart and how very negatively it had impacted her and Bonnie. Well her heart he had already but he did not wish to spoil her again. To make matters worse, he was subjected to her allure, which culminated first while shopping; each time she emerged to show off a new dress his eyes took in every familiar inch of her body, and he was reminded how much he had missed her. Then came that moment in the balcony when she was more willing to give herself to him than ever before. He had always prided himself in his patience and self-control, and both were failing miserably when he needed them the most. That he had foolishly planned to hold out on relations had two reasons. A part of him, out of his own bitterness, wished for her to feel the same kind of miserable longing she had put him through, but another, just as dominant part, wanted her to enjoy intimacy. That he had acted like a madman the last time he had her still made him feel guilty and contributed to his decision to let her take her time. Well evidence he had seen enough earlier that she wouldn't deny him but the demanding, ardent lover within him fought a most intense struggle with the tender, caring one.

Well, Rhett Butler had never been an honorable gentleman, he was selfish and shrewd and he was the first to admit it. Thus, his desire won out.

She did something to him that no other woman ever did. He wanted her and he wanted her bad, regardless if his heart was swelling with love or with anger. This was a mixture of both. He had known what was on her mind when she joined him in bed but because he remained passive, she was fast asleep by the time he made up his mind. She didn't stir when he gently pulled the cover from her body, it was the combination of his hot breath and moist lips on the skin of her neck that disturbed her slumber. She started first, clearly not used to another presence in her bed anymore, and he put an arm around her.

"Shhh," he whispered in her ear. "It's alright, it's just me."

"Rhett?" She was groggy and not entirely awake yet when he rolled her onto her back. Her vision cleared and her eyes finally became focused just as he hovered over her.

He was sure she could feel his arousal when he pressed his body against hers as a wordless explanation of what he was doing. Her lips parted as soon as his mouth came down on hers, and he grew certain he wouldn't be met with resistance. Still, he pulled back and observed her face keenly as one of his hands reached down to her knee and slid under her nightgown to expose her thigh. He wanted her as much as he wanted her to submit to his authority but he would never ever risk hurting her the way he had risked it the last time. She had enjoyed their mad night, that was what he told himself each time he found himself repulsed by his actions, but he had made a vow never to sink so low as to chance harming her again.

There was no sign of reluctance on her part and that urged him on. His hand gripped the newly exposed flesh and he kissed her once more, this time deeper and longer. The feel of her body, the scent of her skin and her taste were intoxicating and his desire grew rapidly. He touched and kissed her wherever he could, time and time again returning to his favorite parts of her body that he had missed so much. His conduct may have been vastly different than the last time, but the long lasting hunger he felt for her was essentially the same. That was how, he would reason with himself the next morning when guilt poked its head around the corner, he was unable to pay as much attention to see to her pleasure as he did to his own. It was over sooner than he thought it would be and it certainly wasn't with discomfort or pain that her chest continued to heave afterwards. But it wasn't with actual fulfillment either.

---

When Scarlett awoke the next morning, her body had stopped tingling and aching for the release that had failed to come the previous night. Rhett certainly had been gentle with her, his kisses were as hot as ever and the entire affair had been enjoyable enough to call it good, had it not been for the lingering disappointment over the release that never came. She had anticipated it, came close, too, but he failed to push her over the edge like the last time. Once again she felt wanton for thinking like that, but this time with considerably less guilt. If her body was capable of such reactions and feelings, then there had to be a good reason for it. It was always when Scarlett thought of her mother and her childhood teachings that her conscience flared but this wasn't the first contradictory matter that Rhett introduced her to, so to speak, and allowed her an entirely different view. Still, the idea that with last night everything would finally be back to normal was a much more pleasant one and it distracted her from her frustration.

Scarlett thought the only reason why they were staying in Mandeville instead of New Orleans was to make use of their house. She was rather excited about the aspect of going dancing and doing some more shopping. Her excitement didn't last long, however, for Rhett's complete turnaround regarding what she could and couldn't get became unmistakable.

Although he had greeted her with a kiss earlier in the morning when she came down to the dining room, he was mostly silent during their breakfast and Scarlett thought once or twice she saw a flicker of guilt in his gaze, but since they went as quick as they came, she dismissed the thoughts.

"Rhett," she addressed him after having finished her breakfast, and eyed him still consuming his.

"Hmm?"

"I haven't been to a good dance since a lifetime," she said. "I wonder if we could go to New Orleans this evening and-"

"Affairs are different these days over there than they were during our honeymoon. I do business with those people but do not intend to deepen the acquaintance by socializing with them."

She frowned. "What about your old friends?"

Rhett chuckled. "You never could tell the difference between interest and actual friendship, just as you can't judge people for what they are worth. You need to learn to separate friends from necessary allies, my dear. Most of all, you need to learn when to step away, which, judging by your regular visitors in Atlanta, appears to be a pressing matter. In fact this is the opportune moment to let you know that I refuse to permit your most frequent callers to set foot in the house again."

"What?" Scarlett looked scandalized and completely taken aback, this was not the response she had expected to such simple question. She glared at him as he finished eating and tapped his mouth with a napkin calmly.

"You heard me."

"Since when do you care about my friends?"

"I don't, which is why I also don't care to stand them under my roof anymore."

Somewhere in her brain there was a tiny noise protesting, telling her not to argue with him, but Scarlett couldn't help the rising irritation. She was simply unable to hold back the sharp words. "You never even accept their calls, you aren't even home most of the time."

There was no anger in his voice as he answered, in fact Scarlett thought he looked like he was following a script he knew very well. "And they had a lot to do with it. I have told you clearly before that I disapprove of them. Well I'm taking it further and don't want to see them visiting again, I won't be chased out of my own house anymore."

"You can't keep me from meeting them."

"I could, I'm your husband," he told her with a pointed look and for a moment dead silence settled, thick with tension. Her eyes narrowed in indignation but before she could say anything, he added, "but I won't. You shall not see them at the house, however."

But Scarlett didn't feel inclined to see those people anywhere but her home. She wasn't fond of them but at least they served their purpose of keeping her preoccupied and, most importantly, they were the people she could brag to, to whom she could show off her house and whom she could graciously receive. Even that part of her interest had considerably waned recently, if hard pressed she might even admit she only allowed them because they were the only people that actually wanted to socialize with her, which naturally appealed to her and her pride, but Rhett's attitude didn't sit well with her. Not used to being denied, it naturally turned her defiant.

"I shall be the judge to decide whom I let into my house."

"And quite a poor one at that. No, my pet, you would mistake a wolf to a dog just as easily as you mistake fake flattery to friendship, " he said, before adding, "…or a man's purely carnal desire to carefully disguised love. And don't try to fool me into believing you care, you can't stand them."

The reference to Ashley was clear to her but Scarlett didn't want to go into it. He had always been a sore spot for Rhett, and it was obvious it would remain so, instead she focused on a more important matter. "It's _my_ _home_."

"Home?" He laughed bitterly first but then his face grew serious and he stood. "It's not a home, it's an impersonal, distasteful nightmare of concrete and I'm tired of spending time in that over the top establishment. I put up with it long enough, now I want to live in a house I happen to like." He stopped by her chair and looked into her eyes. "Speaking of which, construction's underway to renovate and redesign most of it, inside and outside, as we speak. Substantial modification work will have been done by the time we return."

She was on her feet in an instant, her eyes blazing. "You can't do that."

"Can't I? Pray tell, Mrs. Butler, why shouldn't I do with my house as I please? Have I not granted your every wish until you managed to build the most atrocious mansion Atlanta has ever seen?"

"You have, without objection." She reminded him.

"Not until now. Do I detect a problem in your tone, with your husband finally having a say in his own living arrangements? You are forgetting about our agreement, Scarlett."

"I assure you, Mr. Butler, I'm not." She bit back and her face was an open book to him.

"You still look gorgeous when you're mad."

"You're still a skunk." Her slanting green eyes looked the familiar emerald by now.

He laughed. "Maybe I do want to dance." He added, cheerily. "Why don't you put on a new dress, my dear, and I shall grant your wish to have a good time tonight?"

"Why, it's not _dancing_ with you I wish to do."

"Careful with the claws, my darling little kitten, you might hurt yourself."

In the end Rhett gave her two choices, one was staying home and sulking, the other to go shopping together. Scarlett, stubbornly, chose the first one but not even riding held any allure to her that day, so barely an hour later she realized shopping was better than nothing, thus, granted him the favor of going out. She hated the conceited smirk on his face as he handed her into the carriage, but, she figured, in order to get what she wanted, she was willing to put up with it. Aside from their argument at breakfast, Rhett wasn't unpleasant at all for the rest of the day. What surprised her was the unusual openness in his eyes whenever he flattered or complimented her, and, given her feelings, it was reassuring. However, he stopped acting nonchalant when other men dared to take in her appearance or happened to approach her when she wasn't by his side. Scarlett figured the reason was rather simple. Rhett had clearly let her know what he thought about fidelity and importance of physical relations, but apparently it had been an essential part of his ploy to mask his real feelings. He wasn't at all acting like the jealous husband, a part of her even wished he would, he appeared perfectly confident in the knowledge that she loved him. It proved to her once more how very well he knew her, how very aware he was of the fact that her flirting was instinctive, merely a product of her vanity and pride, and nothing else. Still, she sometimes caught the depicting look he threw at everybody who approached her, as if he could read a person's intentions just by looking at them. That may have not been far from the truth, she thought, for Rhett had this uncanny ability to read people rather easily.

What remained perfectly clear the entire time were his new rules. Scarlett was unsure at first how to handle his nonsense, as she called it. He didn't deny just about anything from her, no, but it made little difference to Scarlett for she wanted everything. Whereas in the past he had allowed her to spend on whatever she liked, except for Ashley, this time he continued criticizing and rejecting her choices, categorizing them as useless, unimportant, distasteful or unnecessary. He only allowed her to buy what he deemed acceptable and Scarlett was having a hard time comprehending why, for their ideas on what was necessary considerably differed. Evidently their fortune was still intact, he even told her as much, and when she lost her temper and claimed she'll just use her own money to buy everything he wouldn't, he laughed and told her to go ahead. Since wiring and making arrangements would take some time, Scarlett would have been forced to wait days until it arrived to make her purchases. He knew that, too, and appeared to be amused with her struggle. Still, Scarlett stubbornly made up her mind and he complied with her demands to make a stop on their way back to Mandeville so she could make the necessary arrangements for her money. She hated to spend her money, she liked Rhett's better, but she had no other choice.

---

She was busy musing about all of the day's events in their bedroom later that evening. When she had asked him why he was doing it to her, he frankly told her he found her too careless in her spending and if she went on like that, their wealth would suffer soon enough. It was an exaggeration, she knew as much, but he had made his point which she greatly disagreed with. She had spent enough time in poverty, she loathed feeling restricted once more when she really couldn't see a reason, and when she accused him of not bothering with that before, he merely said that was in the past. Yet if there was something he liked and considered good, he gladly gave it to her. In fact he was utterly pleasant about it, and there were moments of gentle touches and really kind words on his part which seemed to soften the blow. If anything, he seemed more in control than ever but he appeared less volatile. He still appeared deeply lost in thoughts every once in a while and in those moments Scarlett pondered asking him what he was thinking about him, but, she always assumed his thoughts went back to Bonnie, and Scarlett didn't want to go there.

An arm went around her waist as he came up behind her, and, albeit reluctantly at first, Scarlett let herself lean back against his chest. She didn't bother with a wrapper, and the sigh he let out meant he was evidently pleased with that fact. Scarlett was uncertain whether she was angry with him or not, probably both, but his touch set off such anticipation in her body that she found herself unable to resist. Everything he did these days made her feel different than in the past, but most importantly, everything he did touched her much deeper than before which was due to her feelings, she figured. So when he brushed her hair out of the way to kiss the back of her neck, all she could do was close her eyes and sigh softly. His fingertips brushed her skin before traveling downwards. His hand continued on its way on her body and, hooking a finger under the material, took her nightgown along, slowly exposing one of her shoulders.

"What's this?" He asked as his fingers grazed a rather long scar on her shoulder blade.

"Hmm?" She asked, dazed.

"The scar."

"Oh, that. Just a silly accident, " she said and, having drifted back to those comfortable moments in the past when she had felt he was the only one she could always be honest with, the admission slipped before she could think it through, "Queen couldn't take the last fence, I fell."

From one moment to another, she could feel his entire body stiffen, his muscles flexed and the strong arm around her now felt like an iron trap. Her own words rushed back into her head in an instant and the reason for the sudden change in atmosphere was crystal clear. He was angry with her. She closed her eyes briefly in annoyance with her own careless slip and bit her lower lip.

"You never learn, do you," he growled and, to her shock, practically ripped the rest of her nightgown from her back.

"Rhett," she yelped and squirmed but he wouldn't let her turn around.

He gripped her and held her at arm's length, and it dawned on her that he was looking for further injures.

"Rhett, stop. Turn me loose!"

"She was just like you," he hissed and let her go. "You fool," he growled and by the time she turned around all she could see was his retreating back.

He slammed the door, loudly, and Scarlett stood alone, bewildered, clutching the garment of her torn nightgown so it wouldn't fall. It was some time later, dressed in another nightgown and a wrapper, that she found him in the parlor. A single candle was what illuminated the room and her gaze fell on the open bottle on the table. The glass right next to it seemed empty, and, she realized with surprise, aside from it being opened, the bottle was untouched, too.

Her gaze traveled to his form, and saw him standing by the window, not giving any indication that he noticed her presence.

"Rhett."

"Go to sleep."

"What-"

"Go to sleep." He barked.

Her temper flaring as a result of his harsh words, she pursed her lips in annoyance. If that was his wish, then be it. With a frustrated sigh, Scarlett turned and left him alone for the night. She didn't know when he joined her bed, it was rather late when she turned in her sleep and, opening her eyes briefly, saw his profile in the dark. Resisting the urge to snuggle closer and rest her head on his shoulder, she acted upon her hurt instead and closed her eyes before going back to sleep.

---

The following morning held even more surprises, and reason for upset, for Scarlett.

"I can't do nothin' fer ya, Mizz Butler:" Tom, their only servant told her rather meekly. "Mist Butler's instructions was cleer, Ah is to obey him only."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow as she regarded the man sharply who, in return, squirmed under her gaze and lowered his eyes. There was only one other time that something like this happened to her and that was when old Frank had an unprecedented flare of bravado and practically confined her in the house by all means possible. Although it had been Melanie who came up with the ultimate solution, Scarlett could tell Frank's resolve had been crumbling quickly, and regardless of Archie, she would have gotten her way sooner or later. This was Rhett and not Frank, however, which thoroughly complicated things.

Still, it should be no problem, Scarlett thought, there was a rather practical solution to this all. It wasn't Rhett she needed to convince but the servant. That proved no major difficulty.

"Great balls of fire," she exclaimed. "Shall I tell Mr. Butler that something as trivial as saddling up a horse required his presence? Not only are you keeping me but you would cause interruption in his own important affairs. He's working as we speak." He was not, but Scarlett had no problem lying. "He will be thoroughly displeased to find you aren't able to do an adequate job."

Tom visibly stiffened. "Ah… ah, I don' knows…" He stuttered.

"I'll be generous this time and will keep this between us if you saddle up my horse right this instant, otherwise I shall go get my husband and this matter will not be settled in a peaceful manner. You know Mr. Butler's temper."

Scarlett got her wish, the horse was saddled up quicker than she had anticipated and, rather triumphantly, she went out for a ride. By the next day Tom was gone and, to Scarlett's dismay, replaced by a new servant. This unspoken battle between Mr and Mrs. Butler went on until the fifth servant, Joe arrived. He was crude, strongly built and his communication was kept at a minimum. He very much reminded Scarlett of Archie, except for the hateful remarks.

Although Rhett won this battle, the war was far from over, in fact this was merely the first step on the road to a most interesting power struggle between husband and wife.

**To Be Continued**…


	7. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

For a while I did not want to put up any note of delay because I hoped it wouldn't be long term. But it has been really too damn long not to say anything. I would like to apologize to all of you who have been following this story, especially those who left me reviews and those who put me and/or my story on alert. My excuse is that life got in the way, big time.

**BUT! ****I am not abandoning this story, or any other project of mine as a matter of fact**, I just felt I needed to update to tell you that I have been super busy, first with finishing school and graduating and then with starting work. I hardly had time for myself, let alone any stories of mine. I hope that my schedule will allow me more free time from now on and I can produce new chapters and will be able to complete my half-done GWTW one shot as soon as possible.

Thank you to all of you who have been sticking around, I hope to be back with updates very soon!


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